A Deal Made In Gold
by horsechick27
Summary: To save Mabel's life, her mother makes a deal with Bill. Sixteen years later the twins come back to Gravity Falls as young adults and Bill comes to collect his payment: Dipper. As the twins deal with Bill, a new evil comes to town with a goal. The pairing is Bill/Dipper with a little Dipper/Pacifica. The rating is subject to go up as the story goes on.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Lana Pines knew something was wrong with her three year old daughter, Mabel. It had started off with Mabel being really fussy and uncomfortable. Lana thought that by giving Mabel some children's Tylenol and keeping an eye on her twin boy, Dipper, everything would be fine. Then it evolved into Mabel having pain in her legs and her skin taking on a very pale color. This led to an immediate rush to the emergency room with Mabel in the stroller and Dipper being held in the other arm. At the hospital, the doctors immediately admitted Mabel and once they checked her symptoms and vitals they had their answer. When Lana was called from the waiting room by the doctor she knew that the news was anything but good.

Lana's ears rang as the doctor explained the situation. Only certain words such as intense fever, meningitis, and a low chance of survival Lana registered. The mother held Dipper numbly in her arms and refused to acknowledge the physical world around her. The toddler cooed softly and stared up at his mother with wide, curious eyes. Lana smiled softly and ran a hand through Dipper's soft curls and lifted up his bangs to gaze upon his birthmark. The birthmark was of the big dipper constellation, which inspired Lana and her husband to call him that as a nickname.

Oh god, her husband. She did not even call her husband to give him the news. Joseph Pines worked as a structural engineer which required him to be away from his family on business quite often. Lana did not have the energy or the heart to tell her husband that their daughter might be dead by the time he came home.

Sobs racked her body as emotions found their way back inside and drowned out the numbness. Tears fell from the woman's face and racked her body into sobs. Lana held Dipper close to her chest as though he was a life preserve until he began to squirm. Numerous nurses and patients walked by the sobbing woman and gave her pitiful glances. Lana didn't care, her daughter was dying and she was going to have a cry if she damn well pleased. She felt like a failure of a mother.

Once Lana cried until she was hoarse and there were no more tears left, she took Dipper and went inside Mabel's hospital room. Lana bit her lip and urged herself to be strong for her children. The three year old was asleep in the bed hooked up to an IV. Her face was relaxed but Lana knew that the medication was helping Mabel asleep. The entire week was filled with Mabel crying because she was in pain or feeling sick. Her skin tone was now a sickly pale, a far cry from the healthy peach color she once had.

Lana sat in the recliner near the bed with Dipper in her lap. The boy leaned against his mother's chest while she ran her fingers nervously through his hair.

"Mabie sick?" Dipper asked with curious eyes.

Lana sighed and stroked her son's face. He was so young and did not understand the gravity of the situation. All he knew was that sissy was sick and he wanted to help.

"Yes baby, Mabel is sick", Lana said to her son softly.

Dipper climbed out of his mother's arms and walked to the bed. Seeing his sister hooked up to the scary machines and not waking up frightened him. Dipper took Mabel's limped hand and held on tightly.

"Please get better Mabie", he pleaded with tears in his eyes.

Lana left the siblings alone in the moment. The twins had a relationship that went beyond simply being brother and sister, they were best friends. Mabel played with Dipper when none of the other kids did and never left his side as babies. There was always an indestructible line keeping them together. Now Lana could see that line withering away into dust.

Lana arranged to spend the night at the hospital with Mabel. The doctors had Mabel on a respirator so that she could sleep through the night. Dipper refused to leave his twins' side and Lana did not have the heart to forbid him from spending one last night with his sister. Thankfully Lana had kept Mabel in a private room so there was room for a blow up cot to put on the floor. That night Lana had to coerce Dipper to come with her to pick up an overnight bag dinner for themselves that night but Dipper was not having it. Lana offered to let Dipper pick where they would eat and promised that they would come right back. Dipper finally relented but not before planting a kiss to Mabel's hand.

Fifteen minutes later Lana and Dipper returned to the hospital with an overnight bag and McDonald's in hand. Lana set up the meal on the bedside table and allowed Dipper to sit and eat in the bed with Mabel so long as he did not get any food on the sheets and was to be careful of Mabel. Mother and son ate their meal in content silence with the television playing softly in the background. Once the meal was finished and cleaned up, Lana took out Dipper's pajamas and tooth brush and helped him get ready for bed. Once her little boy was dressed for bed, Lana slipped on her pajamas in the bathroom. Soon enough, Lana and Dipper were curled up in bed with Mabel in between them. Lana made sure to grab Dipper's favorite movie, The Sword in the Stone, from home in an attempt to make him comfortable. She knew that it was a longshot but it was worth a shot. Dipper had nodded off fifteen minutes until the end. Lana got up carefully to turn off the movie and get some sleep herself. The room was plunged into complete darkness, making Lana feel small and timid.

"Well, well, well, isn't this a pretty picture?" a high pitched voice spoke.

Suddenly, the room turned gray and dismal. Everything was now deathly still as though time seemed to stand still. Lana quickly looked over to Dipper and saw that he did not even stir this relieved her but also brought worry. In the area separating the bed from the door a flash of light followed by numerous little cubes that joined together to from a pyramid. The pyramid cackled maniacally while a pair of legs and arms crawled out from its body. In a flash, the pyramid was now completely visible.

"What the hell?" Lana said softly.

The pyramid was as yellow as the sands of Egypt. A black top hat and bow tie were worn as though he were a man with flair. His size was also downgraded but was now floating. In the center of the triangle stood a single eye. Though he did not look intimidating, Lana kept her guard.

"Evening toots, name's Bill Cipher and I think I can help you out" he said with the suaveness of a car salesman.

"What are you?" Lana asked in a hard voice.

Bill rolled his eye in slight annoyance as though he had said this mantra more than once.

"I'm a dream demon, isn't it obvious?"

"You just look like a floating pyramid that has a thing for old fashioned accessories" Lana said crossing her arms.

Bill lightly chuckled at Lana's answer.

"You've got spunk mama bear, but it won't help you or your daughter. I can save her if we strike a deal" Bill said and conjured up a black cane to lean on.

Lana narrowed her eyes at the demon. She climbed off the bed and stepped closer to Bill. The triangle was giving off a glow that seemed to brighten up the room.

"What kind of a deal are you thinking of?" Lana asked crossing her arms.

"I will make it so that Mabel is completely healed, as though she were never sick to begin with. In return, I will take something that you have for myself" Bill explained.

Lana considered the conditions but she was still not convinced.

"I don't own anything incredibly valuable that you would want".

Bill chuckled softly but Lana could feel goosebumps forming on her arms.

"You do own something valuable that I need. My price is Dipper" Bill said pointing to Dipper's sleeping figure.

Lana's eyes widened and she instinctively wrapped clenched her fist.

"No, you're not taking my boy. What else can I give you?" Lana practically growled.

Bill crossed his arms and Lana swore that if Bill had a mouth he would be smirking.

"Easy there mama bear, I just want to negotiate this with you in a business-like manner" Bill said.

"I'm not negotiating shit with you. You're not taking my kid just so you can do whatever the hell you want with him. As a matter of fact, why do you want my boy? What use if he to you?" Lana asked.

"I have my reasons that aren't any of your business. Besides, you're not in much of a position to be asking questions", Bill drawled.

"What do you mean?" Lana asked.

"Meningitis can be treated if you catch it early enough. If only you saw the symptoms sooner and had taken Mabel for treatment, your little family would be all warm and snuggled at home", Bill said.

Lana felt like she had been kicked in the gut. Bill was right, if only she had gotten Mabel checked out when the signs were early none of this would be happening. The horrible truth clung to Lana like tar and she truly felt the world's worst mother.

"My god, I'm a horrible mother" she said softly while falling to her knees.

Bill flew down to her level and lifted up her chin to look him in the eye.

"You can redeem yourself with this deal. Shooting star will be healthy and grow into a perky, happy kid" he said in a calm voice.

"Shooting star?", Lana questioned the nickname.

"Oh, let's just say I'll be seeing her and Pine Tree in the future" Bill said winking his eye.

Lana considered her options. Her daughter was on sitting on the brink of death. The faces of the doctors telling Lana the news flashed. Expressions of pity were etched across them and a tombstone made of marble in a graveyard made itself known. Dipper was on his knees while Joseph had his arm around Lana, silent tears falling down his cheeks. This was Lana's future and the mother now knew her decision.

"Al right" Lana said straightening up.

Bill brightened up with happiness.

"Excellent! Now the terms of this agreement are as followed. I will cure Mabel of her disease and in return I will collect my payment in –",

"Dipper" Lana said stern voice.

"Excuse me?" Bill drawled.

"His name is Dipper, not payment as though he were money" Lana's voice was growing stronger and a little more defiant.

"Fine then, I will collect Dipper, in sixteen years. By then he'll be ripe and mature for the taking. The one other condition in this deal is that you are forbidden to tell anyone about this deal. Not your husband and especially not your children. If you break this condition, I will be personally see to it that Mabel ends up right back in the hospital and does not survive the hour, depends on my mood" Bill said with a cackle that froze Lana's blood.

"You're insane" Lana hissed with narrowed eyes.

"You're just figuring that out now? Do we have a deal?" Bill asked and stretched out his hand.

Blue flames encased Bill's little hand which bathed the gray room in a blow glow. Lana's face was illuminated and Bill could see every expression she was giving. He knew that Lana was a strong person but her maternal instincts were the weak link. Any person could be swayed if the life of their child was on the line.

"Fine", Lana forced herself to say though gritted teeth and shook his hand.

Once they released hands the fire died down. Bill snapped his fingers but nothing happened, confusing Lana.

"When you wake up, Shooting Star will be healthy as a horse. The doctors will think of it as a miracle of god, and the three of you can go home to find your husband back early", Bill said leaning on his cane.

Lana stroked Mabel's hair with her fingers but did not look at Bill.

"Well, now that my work is done I'll be off. See you guys in a few years. Remember, reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, bye!" Bill exclaimed before he disappeared in a flash of light.

The room was thrust back into color and the clock changed as though only a minute had gone by. Dipper and Mabel were still sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of the conversation. Lana rubbed her face with her hands in exhaustion. Strands of her brown hair fell to the outside of her hands but she did not move them back.

"What have I done?"

* * *

Author's Note: constructive criticism is accepted but absolutely no flames.


	2. Struggling Nightmare

All was quiet in the mindscape of Dipper Pines. Little woodland creatures scurried amongst themselves while fireflies danced in the night. A full moon was hanging overhead and bathed the forest area in a luminous glow.

"A perfect night", Dipper said to himself.

The nineteen year old walked the familiar path that led to a gothic style mansion. This was where all of his memories were stored. Over the years Dipper had perfected the art of going into his mindscape and exploring. Unfortunately this prevented him from getting any sleep at night, causing insomnia throughout his adolescent years.

Dipper opened the large front door of the mansion and entered. The foyer resembled a dark mansion from the Victorian era, with marble walls and floors. Dark oak pillars decorated the area and a grand stair case with a red carpet led up to the second floor. Resting on pedestals on either side of the staircase stood two brass eagles.

Dipper gazed upon the foyer with familiar admiration and began to climb the stairs. At the top of the stairs stood a door that led to another room filled with thousands of doors. Like in his Gruncle Stan's mindscape, behind each door contained memories and dreams. Dipper liked to explore this part of the mindscape but did it with caution because there were some memories, a specific few from high school, which were better left alone. That's why he created a room to store these memories and keep them locked away.

Dipper had just reached the top of the stairs and was bent on going into the dream hall when he heard something coming from the foyer. The boy quickly turned around and looked down.

"Who's there?" he called out.

It sounded like crying but it was too pretty. Some words could barely be made out due to the echo. Anxious to identify the source, Dipper started back down the staircase. His paranoia grew with each step he took. When he finally got to the bottom, Dipper was met with a strange sight. Crouched down on the floor as though she was praying was his twin sister Mabel.

"Mabel? What are you doing here?" Dipper asked in surprise.

Mabel ignored him and Dipper realized that she was singing. It was light and delicate like wind chimes, a far cry from her normal voice. Dipper could not help but smile a little at how pretty it sounded. Wait a minute? Mabel couldn't sing.

 _"Struggling man has got to move. Struggling man no time to lose. I'm a struggling man and I've got to move on"._

Mabel was rocking back and forth as though she were keeping in time with a rhythm. Dipper frowned in confusion and a feeling of uneasiness settled into his gut.

"Mabel, are you okay? Talk to me" Dipper moved to turn her to face only to fall back at the sight.

Mabel was sliced down the front of her body and across her chest as though a cross was being drawn. Her sweater that was once white was now crimson and the pink knitted picture of her pet pig Waddles was sliced in four ways. But the horror did not stop there. The corners of Mabel's cheeks were carved into a Glasgow smile giving her a permanent grin. Her eyes, once portals to happiness, were now two black gaping holes. Blood flew like ruby tears down her entire body.

Dipper fought back the urge to vomit. His sweet, beautiful sister was carved like a deer ready for slaughter. Mabel raised her head and felt around blindly and stopped when she touched Dipper's face. The pain was making her twitch uncontrollably and she tried to hold out her arms for an embrace but she fell forward. Dipper snapped out of his stupor and reached his arms out to cradle his sister's dying body.

"Please stay with me Mabel, who did this to you?" Dipper asked frantically. Tears were brimming at the eye lids and his voice was cracking.

Mabel was choking on her own blood so Dipper couldn't understand her. Suddenly, she reached out a single finger and fearfully pointed it behind Dipper. Dipper turned his head to see what was frightening his sister. A figure that looked to be Dipper's height stood in the shadows.

"Come out and face me!" Dipper bravely said.

The figure cackled in amusement. It was a high pitched sound that sent a tremor down Dipper's spine but it did sound familiar. Dipper tried to keep focus and stared down the figure. The sound of dress shoes clacking against the marble floor echoed throughout the ballroom. The figure stepped into a patch of light and revealed itself to be a twelve year old version of Dipper, minus his signature trucker hat, and wearing a reverend's suit. The only difference was the pair of eerie yellow eyes that resembled marbles. He was twirling a bloodied knife in his hands absentmindedly. Stains of blood were splashed on to the suit but it went unnoticed. A smirk of amusement was etched on to his lips and he looked up at Dipper.

"Miss me, Pine Tree?"

"Gah!" Dipper shot up out of bed.

A layer of sweat glazed Dipper's skin and he was trembling. Every night for a month it had been the same nightmare over and over again. Suddenly Mabel burst into the room wielding a baseball bat.

"I heard screaming. What's going on?" Mabel asked keeping a fighting stance.

Dipper snapped his head to the door and held up his hands in surrender.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy Mabel. I'm al right".

Mabel relaxed and put the bat down on the floor. She looked at her twin sympathetically.

"Was it the nightmare again?" she asked and sat herself at the foot of the bed.

Dipper sighed but nodded. He shifted to the bedside table to turn on the lamp. Dark circles were caked under his eyes and his skin was pale despite living in California.

"Dipper, this nightmare has prevented you from getting any sleep. You're starting to look like a zombie" Mabel said worriedly.

"I know and I don't understand why it keeps happening" Dipper said.

"Maybe you'd feel better if you told me what the dream was?" Mabel suggested.

Dipper gritted his teeth. For the past month Mabel had been pushing him to tell her of the nightmare he had been having. It wasn't that Dipper didn't trust Mabel, he would trust his sister with his life, it was that he just did not want to worry her. Bill was supposed to be gone, they made sure of that. Mabel was already worried enough about him and he did not need to add this to the list.

Once the insomnia started in high school Dipper had become a bit of a recluse. He only had a handful of friends that were more like acquaintances and he did not participate in any sports or clubs. Mabel on the other hand befriended a group of artists and she joined the drama club. Her talent with fashion landed her a spot in the costume department. Throughout high school Dipper hung out in the library when he was not in class and studied the journal. At home, he would study it at night by black light. By now the journal was beginning to seriously fray but Dipper took care of it as though it were a newborn baby.

He studied every page of notes the author had written and had even done additional research in other books. This was where Dipper's birthday and Christmas money was invested. Some might say he was obsessed with the journal but Dipper was determined to know the secrets. Every summer he and Mabel continued to go back to Gravity Falls to visit Gruncle Stan and every time something new was discovered, which he added to Journal 3.

"No, I don't want to try and remember the dream. I mainly forget about it when I wake up" Dipper said dismissively.

Mabel crossed her arms and looked at her brother skeptically.

"Okay, but you should talk about it or at least write about it so that it gets out of your system" Mabel said maternally.

"I'll consider that. Maybe it'll give me some inspiration for my book" Dipper said with a shrug.

Mabel uncrossed her arms and a smile melted on to her face.

"Awkward sibling hug?" she said holding her arms out.

"Awkward sibling hug" Dipper replied and wrapped his arms around his sister tightly.

Once they released each other Mabel hopped off the bed and picked the bat off the floor. She left the room with a wave for her own room. Dipper leaned over to the table and grabbed his phone. It read four AM in white lettering on the screen.

Dipper grimaced at the time. "Damn".

He needed to up be in four hours to get ready to leave for Gravity Falls. In their senior year, the twins decided to attend college in Oregon. Mabel earned a scholarship that got her a spot in Portland University's fashion program. During their sophomore to senior year Mabel took AP classes that basically took care of her prerequisite classes so she could start the program no questions asked. She would live in a dorm when term started but come back to Gravity Falls every weekend. Dipper aimed to run the Mystery Shack when Stan retired so he would be attending the community college and then transferring into the university. While Dipper was extremely intelligent he had a tendency to be a bit lazy. In high school he hardly studied but still managed to pass his tests and assignments. Mabel would often tell him that would come back to bite him in the ass sometime, and she would be there to say she told him so.

Dipper however put effort into studying Latin so that he could better understand the spells in the journal, and pronounce them fluently. Thank god for online courses and willpower. Mabel's argument was so that Dipper would not sound like an idiot while chanting the spells. But Dipper knew that pronunciation was very important with spellcasting. He had just gotten lucky with ending up with spells that did not rely on pronunciation. But with most spells, if the pronunciation is not correct, the spells could backfire. Dipper did not want that written on his tombstone, death by laziness.

Since it was going to be very difficult for Dipper to get back to sleep, he decided to study the third journal. The cracked leather and dusty smell was soothing to the young man. Beneath its original scent was a different smell that only Dipper could detect. It was lightly sweet but also exotic, the scent of magic. Whenever Dipper took a whiff of the scent, his senses created memories of the years at Gravity Falls. Summers filled with adventures of solving ciphers, battling zombies, and time travel were ones that Dipper would never give up for anything.

Journals 1 and 2 were locked away in an antique trunk that Dipper found at a shop in town. It was sturdy and came with a lock which became an adequate hiding spot. Journal 3 had a special place in Dipper's heart so he frequently kept it with him unless he left the house that's when it would go into the trunk with the rest of the journals. The trunk was in the closet where Dipper could keep an eye on it until he loaded it into his car in a few hours.

Dipper flipped through the pages of the journal. Entries about gnomes, zombies, and unicorns brought back memories. As time went on Dipper filled in the blank pages with his own notes. In a way, Dipper had taken up the mantle of being the author. A specific page made Dipper stop and stare, it was Bill's page. Dipper narrowed his brown eyes at the illustration of the wise-cracking demon. Bill's picture of his triangular form in his cipher wheel stared at Dipper mockingly. The warning to not release him written in red ink reminded Dipper of blood. Mabel covered in a river of blood, empty eye sockets, permanent smile, Bipper smirking… Dipper shivered.

"We got rid of him, he can't come back", Dipper muttered firmly before shutting the journal, now suddenly tired.

He got up to unlock the trunk and place journal 3 with the other two. When he got back to his bed Dipper shut off the lamp and turned over to face the wall. Darkness once again enveloped him and Dipper willed himself to sleep. But sleep would not come easy because Bill's laughter was ringing inside his mind and lightbulb memories from seven years ago kept appearing. Frustrated, Dipper furiously rubbed his temples until the laughter disappeared. The teen lied back down on to his pillow and fell into a light sleep.

* * *

Author's Note: The song used in the beginning is Struggling Man by Jimmy Cliff. Thank you for the reviews and following my story, I really appreciate it. I accept constructive criticism but no flames.


	3. Home Again, Home Again

Author's Note: Hello readers, after much debate I decided to rewrite this chapter. When I posted the original version I was very unhappy with it. I apologize for this inconvenience but I hope that this chapter will make up for it. I have big plans for this story and you all following and sending writing reviews motivate me to keep going. Thank you all so much for the support and I look forward to hearing more from you and writing for you. So, without further adieu pull up a chair, sit back, drink a sweet tea, and enjoy this chapter.

* * *

A few hours later sunlight peeked through the blinds in Dipper's room. The teen cracked his brown eyes open as the internal clock rang for him to wake up. Why wasn't his own alarm clock going off? Dipper looked over to his cellphone to check the time and saw that it was nearly ten AM.

"Damn it" Dipper hissed and jumped out of bed, only to get tangled up in the sheets.

Dipper fought with the sheets until he fell out of the bed and bumped his elbow on the floor. Pain seared up his arm and Dipper gritted his teeth so as to not let out a scream. This was not starting out to be good fist day to his adult life. The sheets were now loosely draped around his legs, allowing freedom.

"Bro-bro are you up yet!" Mabel called from downstairs.

Dipper stood up and quickly threw on the shorts and dark blue t-shirt he had laid out the night before over his boxers.

"Yeah, just give me a second!" Dipper yelled back.

He reached for his trusty trucker hat that was hanging on his bed post. It was a bit dingy and fraying from years of use, like the journal. Dipper refused to wash it as though all of the experiences it had endured would simply wash away. Mabel often joked that dogs could smell it from miles away. Dipper placed the hat amongst his unruly chocolate curls to hide the bed head. He looked at his reflection in the vanity mirror and smiled awkwardly at his reflection. Over the years Dipper had grown from being the awkward, scrawny little twelve year old boy into a lithe but slightly less awkward young man. His arms were no longer noodles from chopping wood for Grunkle Stan, just filled out with wiry muscle. Puberty threw Dipper a good hand by granting him with a few extra inches. Now he was forever taller than Mabel, a fact that annoyed her to no end. His hair continued to be as messy as ever but now he had stubble and light sideburns. It was only a matter of time before it was grow and Dipper would fit in amongst all the other hillbillies of Gravity Falls. Across his shoulder blades was a tattoo of a cipher code that Dipper himself came up with written in black ink, an eighteenth birthday present he and Mabel decided to do. Dipper abandoned his reflection in the mirror and set off down the stairs for breakfast.

In the kitchen was his mother prepping a Tupperware container while Mabel was packing the last of her things into her car. A cherry red Volkswagen Convertible sat in the driveway basking in the morning sun with the top down. The trunk was open and filled with four suitcases threatening to fall out. Mabel was trying her hardest to shove them all to fit but to no avail.

"Morning mom" Dipper greeted and went to the cupboard to get a coffee mug.

"It's about time you woke up. Your sister and I were worried that you had died in the middle of the night" Lana said.

Dipper filled his mug with coffee and added his preferred amount of sugar and cream. "My alarm didn't go off for some reason" he said taking a sip.

"Mabel must have shut it off then" Lana said closing the container.

Dipper scrunched his nose in confusion. "Why did she do that?" he asked.

"Maybe she thought you needed to sleep in a little. I heard you yelling last night and you haven't been sleeping well lately. You're all packed anyway so I didn't see the harm" Lana said.

Dipper continued to drink his coffee before he drained it and stuck in the sink to be washed. The teen climbed the stairs to the bathroom where he could brush his teeth. Dipper wetted his toothbrush, squirted a generous amount of toothpaste, and began to scrub his teeth. As he brushed his teeth Dipper felt a familiar nagging sensation within him. How much did his mother suspect about his poor sleeping habits? Had Mabel said anything to her about his nightmare? Why were these nightmares happening in the first place? The last one was the million dollar question.

When he finished, Dipper spat into the sink and rinsed his mouth. His toiletries were one of the last few things that he needed to pack. Unlike Mabel, Dipper could fit all of his belongings into a duffel bag and backpack. All of the furniture he would need was in his room at the Mystery Shack. Mabel was leaving her furniture behind for when she would come home to visit. Besides, her dorm room was already furnished with basic furniture and she had a room at the shack so there point in moving her furniture. Her sweaters, now that was a different battle. A good portion of those suitcases she was shoving into the car were packed to the brim with her colorful sweaters.

Dipper packed up his toiletries into its appropriate bag and went into his room. The walls were void of his favorite posters and pictures, most of which were either packed up or thrown out. His bed that had been with him since childhood stood rooted in its spot like it was not going anywhere in the distant future. Sounded like an old, stubborn man. It sounded like Grunkle Stan.

Dipper went into the closet where the trunk containing the journals was stashed. He slipped a bronze key hanging from a chain around his neck into the lock. The gears shifted comfortably and the latch simply unhooked itself. Dipper unhooked the lock and gazed upon the journals.

When Stanley returned, he and Stan vouched to destroy the journals. Dipper argued that they would have the advantage by having the journals on their side. Surprisingly, Mabel supported him and the brothers Stan decided to simply lock away the journals. It was only last summer that they gave Dipper the responsibility of guarding the journals in Piedmont. This was a mantel that Dipper wore with pride.

Dipper stacked the journals in numerical order, his tendency to have things in order kicking in, and gently placed them in his backpack. The old books were nestled comfortably inside the sack along with his laptop. Dipper kept the rest of his supernatural books at the Mystery Shack. God only knew what his mother would think if she saw them.

Dipper shut the trunk and locked it. He shouldered his backpack and draped the strap of his duffel across the waist so that his hands were free. With free hands Dipper lifted up the trunk and exited his bedroom one last time. It took great skill and a little bit of luck to get down the stairs without tripping but Dipper did it.

"Dipper, that's a good way to fall and break your neck" Lana said sternly from the front room.

"It wasn't so bad, mom. Just a few stairs" Dipper's voice started to strain with the heavy weight.

Lana smirked but proceeded to hold the door open for her son. Dipper waddled out of the house, the weight holding down his body until he could barely breathe. Hey, he was an adventurer, not a body builder.

Luckily, his car was parked in the spot right outside the house. A black Jeep Wrangler sat waiting for its owner. Both cars were sixteenth birthday presents from the twin's father. Dipper and Mabel came home from their first trip to Gravity Falls to find out that their parents were getting a divorce. Mabel was shocked to say the least but now that Dipper thought of it that was probably the reason they were sent to Gravity Falls in the first place.

Once the divorce was finalized and custody arrangements had been made, Lana enrolled into a nursing program and with a part time job and child support, she was able to get her degree and land a job. Dipper could not have been more proud of his mother. Juggling, work, and children was a hard job itself and he and Mabel probably did not make it any easier when they were in school. For the first year, Mabel was convinced that she could match make their parents back together. Dipper had to give her the painful talk about how this was something Love God could not fix. Mabel's heart had shattered into a million pieces at this realization and all Dipper could do to comfort her was by having numerous sleepovers in his room and try to distract her. By the end of Junior High Mabel had accepted the situation and threw herself into her art, and sometimes the occasional boyfriend.

Dipper set the trunk down on the driveway so that he could open the back door. By now his arms were getting numb but he shook it off and used the last of his strength to hoist the chest into the Jeep. Now that Dipper's hands were free, he could relieve himself of his duffel bag and that joined the trunk.

"THUD!" THUD!", "Son of a bitch!", "THUD!"

Dipper chuckled and shook his head at Mabel's antics. The girl was too stubborn for her own good. All she had to do was remove a suitcase or two and stick them in the back seat. But no, Mabel Pines was going to have her bags packed her way or the highway. Right now that was looking to be a mighty big possibility.

"You know, you could just move some of that around or stick a couple in the back seat" Dipper commented shutting the door.

Mabel gave a suitcase a final shove only to have it fall out of the trunk. Frustrated, the young woman kicked the suitcase with all her might and blew a raspberry that would put a ten year old to shame.

Dipper sighed and decided to take pity on his sister. He put his backpack in the passenger seat of the jeep and walked over to Mabel.

"Maybe you should try something else" Dipper said and set the fallen suitcase in its upright position.

Grabbing the case by the handle, Dipper carried the suitcase to the back seat and set it down across the leather.

"I had my own special way of doing it" Mabel said with a light huff.

"Yeah and it was working out so well" Dipper said sarcastically.

Mabel, in her typical childish fashion, stuck out her tongue.

"Are you ever going to grow up?" Dipper asked.

"Are you ever going to get rid of that hat?" Mabel countered.

"Hey, just so you know, this hat is my thing. All great characters have their own their own signature look. Indiana Jones had his whip, Princess Leia had her braids, and I have my hat" Dipper defended and poked the bill of his hat further up on his forehead for emphasis.

Mabel lightly smacked Dipper's hat, making it fall on to his head and shielded his eyes.

"You'll always be a dork dip-dop".

"And you'll forever be a child trapped in a woman's body" Dipper replied with a smirk.

Mabel rolled her eyes and shoved Dipper playfully. "I'd like think of it as being a child at heart" she said.

Dipper smirked at his sister's logic. Lana came out of the house with the Tupperware in hand.

"Okay kids, I just wanted to give you one last hug before you go" Lana's voice was beginning to crack but she remained strong.

Mabel wrapped her arms around her mother lovingly.

"Don't cry mom, I promise that we'll be back for Christmas and call every night. Right Dipper?" Mabel nodded.

"I'll personally buy the place tickets myself" Dipper replied.

Lana laughed slightly and wrapped an arm around Mabel to return the hug.

"No, this is your time to chase your dreams and you shouldn't be spending your time worrying about me. I've done my best raising you two and I could not be any more proud of what you have become".

"And we will continue to make you proud mom" Dipper said truthfully.

"I know you will baby" Lana said softly, almost a whisper.

Mother and daughter released each other rather reluctantly. Lana cleared her throat and handed Dipper the Tupperware.

"I packed breakfast for you since you slept in. It should tie you over until you get to Stan's but stop if you need to".

Dipper accepted the dish and was elated to see two blueberry and banana pancakes. His stomach growled happily at the sight of them.

"Thanks mom" Dipper said with a smile.

Lana enveloped her son in a hug that felt as though it were squeezing the life out of him.

"Mom, I c-can't br-reathe" Dipper choked and Lana immediately released him.

"Sorry baby, I'm just really happy for you".

"Oregon's not that far away. You'll be glad we're gone soon enough" Dipper said adjusting his glasses.

"You guys are never far away from me. Now you two need to get a move on or traffic will get backed up like Woodstock and you won't get there until next morning" Lana said trying to sound stern but it was reluctant.

Dipper hopped into his jeep with the pancakes and backpack riding shotgun. Mabel gave Lana a final hug and kiss before starting up her red baby. The top 40 hits blared from her stereo so loud that their neighbors could probably hear. A pair of pink Ray Ban sunglasses was placed on Mabel's face.

"Don't drive with that music too loud!" Lana yelled over the music but Mabel didn't hear her.

"Just let her go mom, Mabel's in her own little world" Dipper told her and started up his own engine.

"Bless her little heart. Now, do you have enough clean underwear?" Lana asked.

Dipper's eyes widened embarrassingly and his cheeks turned pink. "Mom!"

"Oh please, lord knows you have terrible laundry habits" Lana said crossing her arms and raising an eye brow.

"Yes, I have plenty and I'll make sure to wash. I got to get moving or I'll lose Mabel" Dipper said testily, the blush still covered his cheeks.

"Al right, go on and get out of here" Lana said giving the jeep a light smack.

Dipper backed out of the driveway and was positioned to drive out before he gave his mother a genuine smile. Lana returned the smile and waved brightly. Dipper accepted the gesture and drove off to catch up with his sister.

Catching up to Mabel was unsurprisingly easy despite her driving like a mad woman. Thank god it was still fairly early before traffic would kick in. Dipper was not worried about getting lost or losing Mabel. With her bright car and loud music she stuck out like a sore thumb. Besides, Dipper didn't mind the peace of driving alone so losing Mabel wouldn't be the end of the world.

While the young man was eager to get to Gravity Falls a nagging feeling had settled within the pits of his stomach making him nauseous. Dipper wanted to blame it on the pancakes his mother made as the reason for his nausea, but the teen knew better. Being paranoid at heart Dipper knew the difference between sickness and when something was wrong.

"What could it be?" Dipper questioned.

He ran through a mental list of reasons for his uneasiness until it gave him a headache. By now Mabel had pulled ahead so Dipper was alone of the highway amongst other cars.

"I need to clear my head" Dipper muttered and turned on the radio.

Dipper circled through his favorite stations but found nothing interesting to distract him. Going to Plan B, the brunette switched the forum on his stereo so his iPhone would play his playlist. The first thing that played had a jazzy piano riff opening before an easy pop tune came on. A smile found its way on to Dipper's lips.

" _You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life"_ Dipper sung along softly and cranked the volume a little at a time.

As he built up speed on the highway Dipper felt himself begin to loosen up with the music. BABBA always had a way of clearing his head and putting him in a happy place. This was something Mabel and Grunkle Stan teased him for since he was twelve and Stan walked in on him singing this very song. Hey, it helped him bond with a multi-bear instead of having to kill it.

" _Disco girl, coming through. That girl is you"_ Dipper sang along, very off key mind you, but he didn't give a damn.

For the next few hours this was all Dipper did, singing at the top of his lungs in the privacy of his own Jeep. He had rolled the windows down so the wind blew through messy hair. The music cut off for a second and his phone beeped signaling a text message had arrived. Dipper took a second to glance at the screen while keeping his eyes on the road.

"I'm winning! Eat my dust " the text from Mabel read.

Dipper smirked at the message and turned to get on the next exit nonetheless. Ever since the twins earned their drivers licenses' they had treated the drive to Gravity Falls as a sort of competition. At times Mabel would win but other times Dipper won, the years varied. Unfortunately for his sister, Dipper knew of a short cut that he has used in the past which never failed him in times of need.

"Get ready to eat your words Mabel" Dipper said with a grin and got off the exit he was currently on.

While Mabel had the advantage of a head start Dipper knew of some backroads in the states he had discovered over the years. This was a perfect time to use his secret weapon. Dipper had to stop at gas station to refuel his car and stomach. First he pumped the gas and went inside to find some snacks. The minute Dipper entered the store he made a bee line for the sodas and picked up a bottle of vanilla coke. Pitt cola was a specialty solely reserved for Gravity Falls; once that was taken care of, Dipper walked down to the candy aisle for a bag of his favorite sour gummy worms. He was halfway down the aisle when something yellow entered his peripheral vision. Multiple bags of Doritos were sitting propped up on the shelves with discount advertisements all around them.

"Did ya miss me? Admit it you missed me" a familiar high-pitched voice rang in Dipper's mind.

A memory of a yellow triangle that made the world around a twelve year old Dipper turn gray appeared. He could still recall the feeling of being temporarily suspended as the area was tilted on an axis just by the triangle tipping his top hat. This brought back the nagging feeling Dipper worked hard to repress. Dipper quickly turned his head away, grabbed the bag of sour worms, and practically power walked to the register. He kept his head low and stared at the counter. The Doritos burned a hole into his back but Dipper tried to ignore it. Finally he just threw down a twenty and a ten on the counter and ran out of the store with his purchases, not even bothering with the change. The minute Dipper entered his jeep he started it up and pulled out of the gas station so fast that he almost clipped a minivan coming in. His foot was firmly pressed on the gas pedal and he was afraid to look back.

Once Dipper was back on the interstate he allowed himself to relax. He reached into the plastic bag and removed the bag of candy.

"Hello old friend" Dipper said fondly and ripped open the bag with his teeth.

He spat out the wrapper, not really caring where it landed, and took a red/orange colored worm to pop in his mouth. The candy was sweet at first but then developed a tart flavor. He stuffed his face with worms until no more could fit into his mouth. It was a mediocre distraction but a distraction nonetheless. BABBA still played softly from the stereo but for once Dipper barely registered it. He kept looking in his rearview mirror to see if anyone was following him. But fortunately there were only simple cars and a motorcycle driving behind him. The bag of sour gummy worms and vanilla coke had long been inhaled.

As night began to fall Dipper took some comfort in watching the sun go down. The sky turned a scarlet orange to midnight in under an hour, typical simmer hours. Stars littered the sky twinkling softly and it was almost peaceful. The moon was full tonight and bathed the road in an ethereal glow. By now Dipper had entered Oregon and was now taking the back roads to Gravity Falls. By now Mabel had probably beaten him to the Mystery Shack but Dipper did not give a damn at this point.

The roads were bumpy and Dipper was thankful for owning a jeep. His headlights illuminated the dense forest all around him. Now that Dipper was in the dark he could definitely feel eyes watching him from the shadowy forest. Dipper narrowed his eyes and pressed the gas harder to escape the forest.

The Mystery Shack was a mile away so Dipper would arrive there at around midnight. His stomach was growling painfully. Candy and soda did not make a plentiful meal. Dipper was also getting tired from lack of sleep and stimulation of moving his legs. They were itching to move and had begun to twitch but Dipper was determined to get to the Mystery Shack by midnight.

"Dipper, help me!" a distressed feminine shriek pierced the night and Dipper instantly recognized.

"Mabel!" Dipper cried out, now fully awake.

"Where are you? I'm scared!" his twin cried out fearfully

Dipper sped his jeep up until he was going ten miles over the speed limit. His brown eyes searched the woods anxiously for any sign of Mabel.

Her screams were getting louder until she sounded terrified. Dipper's heart was pounding in his chest and the blood was ringing in his ears. The roads were getting bumpier so he knew that he was getting close to the Mystery Shack. Oh god, what if everyone was being attacked? Mabel? Stan and Stanley? Soos?

"Help me!" Mabel was shrieking at this point and Dipper was pushing sixty miles per hour.

"Hang on Mabel! I'm coming!" Dipper yelled and hoped that she could hear him.

The Mystery Shack was appearing into the distance where Mabel's screams were getting louder. Lights were on but Dipper did not slow down for a second. Suddenly, a figure wearing a pink sweater stood on the edge of the dirt road near the trees.

"Mabel, thank god" Dipper breathed in relief.

His relief was short lived because when Dipper got close to Mabel, she leaned forward as though she were walking on to the road and a wave of blood splattered on to the windshield.

"What the-?" Dipper started.

The crimson wave blinded Dipper's vision. He turned on the windshield wipers but that only succeeded in spreading the blood and blinding him further. Dipper quickly rolled down the window in an attempt to get a clearer view but due to the darkness this was impossible.

By now Dipper had to have been getting close to the Mystery Shack. He tried to slow down but the jeep was going downhill on a slope. It must have rained sometime that afternoon because mud slicked under the tires, making the jeep go at a dangerous speed.

Dipper held on to the steering wheel for dear life and fought to keep it in a straight line. He was almost launched from his seat and into the roof a couple of times due to roots.

"Almost there, almost there" Dipper chanted under his breath.

"Dipper, where are you?" Mabel's voice cried.

"CRASH!"

Shards of glass broke and bit into skin. A resounding thud and an ear-splitting whine of crunching metal pierced the air like a gunshot. Dipper was forcefully thrown forward and bashed his head against something hard. His head swam with disorientation before he gave into the darkness.

* * *

Author's Note: I do not own Gravity Falls or its characters, nor do I own the song Dancing Queen by ABBA. Keep reading and reviewing my lovelies.


	4. All Deals Come With Consequences

Author's Note: Hello my wonderful readers! I sincerely apologize for the long wait but I hope this chapter will make up for it. I also would like to say that I am sticking to Ford being the twin brother instead of him being called Stanley. Thank you all for reading and following this story! I also want to thank my awesome beta reader, who is also my best friend that loves Gravity Falls as much as I do!

* * *

 _"It's almost time. Are you ready, Dipper?" Ford asked his newly discovered great-nephew._

 _A twelve year old Dipper took a deep breath and let out a sigh. The journals were placed in a knapsack slung over Dipper's shoulder. He and Ford were standing in a deserted field a mile from the Mystery Shack._

 _"Yeah, I'm ready" Dipper answered with a nod._

 _Ford nodded to Dipper, placed a six-fingered hand on the boy's shoulder, and gave it a squeeze. Dipper looked up at the older man and suddenly felt self-conscious. Ever since Dipper discovered Journal 3 and learned the paranormal mysteries of Gravity Falls, he had dreamt of finally meeting the author behind it all. To Dipper it was the equivalent to meeting a rockstar. The brunette's shock and excitement was amplified when he learned that he was a blood relative to the author._

 _"I know you can do this," Ford said firmly._

 _He cupped Dipper's chin and had the boy look him directly in the eye._

 _"You've dealt with him before and have won. That's more than I have accomplished,"._

 _"Yeah I know, but, I had help those times," Dipper said in a soft voice._

 _"All great heroes need help sometimes. The point is that you learn from your mistakes. You're going to succeed and we'll be rid of that demon for good," Ford promised._

 _Dipper's confidence was raised at the words of his great uncle._

 _"Do you really believe that great uncle Ford?" Dipper asked._

 _"I damn well know it, kid" Ford said with a believing smile._

 _The smile was like a daisy in a graveyard. It brought light to a face that had experienced a long time of repeated misery. A genuine smile has not graced that face in three decades._

 _"Thanks great uncle Ford," Dipper said holding the strap of the knapsack with a determined expression._

 _Ford nodded and looked to the horizon to the see the sun setting. "It's time,"._

"Dipper!" "Dipper!" "Oh my god, Dipper!" Mabel yelled as loud as she could manage while running at top speed.

The female Pines' twin was relaxing in the living room of the Mystery Shack with Stan and Ford while waiting for her brother. Mabel beat her brother in their annual race but she assumed that he was not far behind her. Once the clock struck midnight and there was no sign of him Mabel started to get worried. She was knitting a scarf while Waddles snoozed by her feet on the couch. Her brown eyes were beginning to droop and Stan suggested that she go to bed while he would wait up for Dipper. Mabel was seriously considering the offer until she heard the sound of screeching tires and a deafening crash. Startled, Mabel looked outside through the window and her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw the rapidly moving headlights of her brother's jeep. The jeep was driving at out of control speeds and did not appear to be slowing down. The young woman's blood froze when she saw the vehicle slightly veer to the left and collide headfirst into a tree. Mabel immediately threw down her knitting needles and yelled to her great uncles to get outside and call an ambulance while she started running.

Mabel skidded to a stop at the driver's side of the jeep. The once beautiful jeep was now a carcass. The impact caused the hood to fly up, exposing the engine, but it still managed to get smashed along with the fender. No glass remained within the windshield and front windows. They shattered on impact and flew into the cockpit. Thankfully, the airbag had gone off and protected Dipper during the initial hit. But unfortunately it had deflated once the worst was over and Dipper still managed to hit his head on the steering wheel. The backseat was covered with glass and pieces of metal but seemed fine overall. Dipper was unconscious and slumped forward in the driver's seat. His head was leaking blood from a gash nestled under his curls caused by the steering wheel. A bright red welt was evident on Dipper's cheek from the air bag. Scratches from the glass shards littered his arms and some attacked Dipper's face.

"Please be okay," Mabel whispered.

She climbed up on the step and reached into the jeep to Dipper's neck. Mabel breathed a sigh of relief and thanked any deity above when she felt a beat.

"Mabel!" Ford yelled from a distance.

Mabel looked out to see Ford and Stan running towards her. It was almost comical and she would have laughed at the sight of them running and panting like a couple of dogs. But now was not the time.

"He's got a pulse!" Mabel yelled back.

She gripped Dipper's hand in hers and prayed that he would awaken soon. By now the Stan brothers had arrived at the scene, panting and out of breath.

"Woo, I haven't ran like that since Columbia," Stan said wiping sweat from his brow.

Ford looked at his brother with a strange look but Stan held up a hand that said don't ask.

"We've called an ambulance and they're on their way," Ford said.

Ford and Stan generally looked the same as they did seven years ago, save for a few more gray hairs. The only difference was that Ford was now sporting an odd fashion statement: one single black glove that covered his entire left hand and fingerless glove on the other.

"How long did they say they would be?" Mabel asked.

"Five minutes, I think" Stan answered.

Mabel sighed in frustration and clenched her free hand in a fist which then punched the outside of the jeep.

"Don't worry Mabel, you said that he's got a pulse and he seems to be breathing so that's a good sign" Ford said to his great niece.

Mabel leaned forward into the cab and was even more relieved to hear shallow breathing.

"Thank god," Mabel breathed.

Dipper's expression was calm like he was sleeping. No grimace of pain from hitting the steering wheel or becoming a human pincushion. No worry lines creased his forehead, freezing his face in an illustration of fear. The teen reminded Mabel of sleeping beauty just waiting to wake up with a kiss. Mabel couldn't help but grin when she thought of her brother "kissing" Mermando when they were twelve. Dipper had gone through a tube of toothpaste and scrubbed his teeth until his gums were raw. Mabel was certain she held on to that picture and placed it within one of her scrapbooks.

Stan's gravelly voice broke the silence. "Uhh guys, is it just me or am I smelling oil getting barbequed?".

Mabel was immediately brought back to reality. Smoke was circling from the open engine and flames were rising from the abyss. Mabel coughed from the surprise attack from the smoke and her eyes stung from it curling from the air conditioning vents.

"GAH!" Mabel cried out and jumped back out of the jeep, accidentally letting go of Dipper's hand.

The temperature was rising in the car and there was a crackling sound coming from the vents. A second later sparks followed by flames shot out and fell to the floor where there was damp gasoline.

Mabel immediately reached in and pulled Dipper's feet away from the floor, not thinking about straining his injuries further. The entire inside of the jeep was on the verge of being engulfed in flames with Dipper inside.

" _You rang, Pine Tree?" Bill Cipher drawled in his usual snarky tone._

 _"I want to make a deal," Dipper said crossing his arms over his chest._

 _The boy wanted to stay to the point when interacting with the tricky demon. Upon Bill's arrival, the demon drained the color of the land around Dipper. Nothing moved, not even the wind. This meant that Dipper was alone with Bill in the mindscape. Bill was an expert of the mind, not to mention in loopholes. So Dipper had to be extremely careful and keep a quiet mind or else Bill would catch on to the nature of this deal._

 _"I could have smelled that a mile away. You reek of desperation, kid" Bill said with a cackling chuckle. The triangle had his hands on what was supposed to be his hips._

 _Dipper ignored the comment and proceeded. "We can't figure out the portal. Even though we found all of the journals and put the blue prints together, we don't know how to work it"._

 _"And why should this deal interest me? You've gotta come up with something that will impress me if you want my attention" Bill said in a bored tone._

 _Dipper sighed. "In exchange for your help, we'll give you the journals,"._

 _Bill crossed his little ebony arms over his body._

 _"You fought pretty hard for the one journal last time we saw each other, Pine Tree. Seems to me it would be a cold day in hell the day you give these things up," the triangle commented in a suspicious tone._

 _Dipper swallowed and fought to keep his mind clear just in case Bill decided to read his thoughts._

 _"I basically know them frontwards and backwards but none of us know how to work the portal. Besides, I could always start my own journal," the boy said._

 _Bill hummed and narrowed his eye in thought._

 _"Show them to me" he said shortly._

 _Dipper slid the knapsack off his back and undid the clasp. As he removed the journals one by one, the boy hoped that his hands were not shaking too much. Even though this was all a ploy Dipper still worried about that safety of the journals and if they got into Bill's hands._

 _Bill observed the journals and gave an occasional hum in contemplation. He flicked through a few pages of each journal then set them back down._

 _"Do we have a deal?" Dipper asked._

 _Bill threw back his body and cackled like a mad hyena. The talking pyramid was trembling with laughter as Dipper had just told the greatest joke in the world._

 _"Are you kidding me? Those tomes are about as useful to me as the Bible," Bill snarked._

 _Dipper's heart fell along with his bravado. He had to make a deal with Bill in order for this to work._

 _"Then what do you want?" he asked._

 _Bill ceased his laughing and floated closer to Dipper so that they were almost eye to eye. Dipper swore that if Bill had a mouth he would be smirking._

 _"What I want is a favor, Pine Tree" Bill drawled._

 _Dipper crouched down and began to pick up the journals. "What kind of favor?" he asked carefully._

 _"The kind where you and the rest of the pine tree family have to do something for me with no questions asked," Bill answered._

 _Dipper furrowed his eye brows. "What? I'm not going to agree tha_ t. The last time you wanted a favor you sprained my hand and stabbed forks into my arm,".

 _Bill shrugged and folded his arms again. "Fine, have it your way, kid. There are plenty of suckers in this world who are just dying to make a deal with me. It looks like you don't need my help that badly so I'll be on my way. Call me when you've decided to make a better deal," Bill floated back a few feet from Dipper and held out his arms with a flash of bright light to make a flashy exit._

 _Dipper had to quickly think of something before Bill took off. As much as the brunette knew how risky it was, he knew what he had to do. That's what heroes had to do, make the hard choices as long as everyone was kept safe._

 _"Wait! I'll take your favor," Dipper called out to stop Bill._

 _Bill dropped his hands and the world was still different shades of gray._

 _"That's more like it, Pine Tree" he said in a pleased tone._

 _"But I have one condition. You help us with the portal and you will get your favor. But, I will be the one granting it, not anyone else in the family" Dipper said firmly._

 _Bill rubbed where his chin would be with his index finger and thumb._

 _"Hmm, I have to say that the self-sacrificing hero part you play looks good on you, Pine Tree" he said._

 _"Is that a yes or a no?" Dipper asked crossing his arms._

 _"Hmm, alright kid, you got yourself a deal. Don't say I never did anything for ya. But just remember that I expect to be paid in full when I collect my payment" Bill said._

 _The pyramid floating closer to Dipper until they were an inch apart and were facing eye to eye._

 _"When I come back, you better not try to short change me. I will always know. I always know," as he said the last phrase, Bill's body grew until he towered over Dipper. His eye glowed and his hands burned their signature azure flames. Bill held up a hand to Dipper's face intimidatingly._

 _Dipper couldn't help but jump back a hair but quickly composed himself and remained neutral._

" _Just be sure that you hold up your end of the deal," Dipper said._

 _"Don't I always, Pine Tree?" Bill drawled shrinking back down to his normal size and put doused the flames._

 _"You didn't last time," Dipper said flatly._

 _Bill bristled a shade of red with anger. "I held up my end that time, you were just too dense to notice,"_

 _Dipper narrowed his dark eyes. "Really, all I remember is you taking my body for a joyride,"_

 _"And it was on that ride I learned how wimpy you humans really are," Bill snapped._

 _Dipper sighed and tried to keep his temper in check. There was too much on the line and he couldn't blow it just because of Bill's big mouth._

 _"Look, man, do we have a deal or not?" Dipper asked._

 _"Someone's a bit eager," Bill laughed but held out his hand and reignited his sapphire blue flames._

 _The small fire illuminated both demon and human in the frozen world. Dipper grasped Bill's hand and the two shook. The flames enveloped both of their hands and felt warm to the touch that was almost soothing. Perhaps this was Bill's method of making his clients feel good about their deals until it's time for them to pay up._

 _Suddenly there a flash of green light that put out the fire. The light traveled up the length of Bill's arm until it outlined his body and froze the demon. Color flooded the mindscape and brought the two back to reality._

 _"What the-!" Bill yelled in surprise and anger._

 _"Now Ford!" Dipper yelled._

 _Ford came out from behind a tree with his six fingered hands glowing the same shade of green that kept Bill immobile. The old man's eyes were illuminated green as well and he was chanting a spell in Latin._

 _Si spiritus minitas mihi in loco isto_

 _Per aquam et ignem igne aqua pugnare_

 _Banish animas in nihilo ni-_

 _Usque ad ultimum potentiae removemus vestigii_

 _Hi entium fugere malum_

 _Per tempora locaque fingit_

 _Dipper pried his hand out of Bill's and stepped back away from the demon. Bill continued to struggle against the restrictions but it was futile. With every second passing the demon was growing angrier._

 _"You idiots! I am going to destroy your minds and make you two just a couple of vegetables when I get out of here!" Bill snarled._

 _"Do you still think humans are wimpy, Bill?" Dipper asked mockingly._

 _Bill growled like a caged animal and his body turned a ruby red. Beneath Bill a portal was being formed and was sucking the triangle inside like rubbish into a vacuum. Bill kicked his legs in an attempt to fight the strong wind but it was still no use._

 _"You won't be so cocky when I return, and believe me I will be back. Everything you hoped for and dreamed of will be nothing but a speck of your imagination, Stanford Pines. Your nightmare has only begun and will continue to grow until you're nothing but a withering shell," Bill turned his eye to Dipper._

 _Dipper tried to look away but was frozen in place by the hellish stare._

 _"And you, Pine Tree" Bill spat the nickname like it were filth._

 _"I've got big plans for you and I intend to see them through. Enjoy this time of peace while it lasts. A storm is coming so you all better batten down the hatches before you get swept away. Catch ya later, boys and don't forget to buy gold!" Bill snapped his fingers and his melted away into a form of floating liquid that disappeared into the closing portal._

 _Everything was now still as death. The moon was still high in the night sky and there were no sounds of critters. Dipper looked down at the grass but did not see any evidence of what just happened._

 _"He's gone," Dipper said._

 _"We did it, together" Ford said proudly._

 _At that moment Dipper truly felt like a hero._

"Mabel, get away from there!" Stan shouted.

"No! We have to get him out!" Mabel yelled back.

Her ears were burning from the fire and by now the sweater she was wearing was stained with her sweat. Strong, rough hands wrapped themselves around Mabel's arms and pulled her away from Dipper.

"No! No!" Mabel wriggled in Stan's grip and clawed to get back to Dipper.

"Mabel, easy, Ford's going to go in and get him" Stan said.

His grip had loosened considerably but still kept Mabel immobile. Ford had already stripped off his tan coat and bolted to the jeep. The survivor pulled up the collar of his sweater around his nose and mouth in an attempt to ventilate his breathing. His glasses were fogging from the heat but Ford ignored it.

The door had been crunched and jammed in the crash so Ford had to pull and wiggle the door off. While the old man was still in decent shape, he couldn't help but groan and grit his teeth at the pain in his joints and particularly his hands. Ford had managed to remove the door but his fully gloved hand throbbed painfully, earning a glare from its master.

"I've got you kid," Ford said with a slight cough.

The fire had enveloped the once beautiful Jeep in a dome of licking flames. Ford sliced away the seatbelt with a pocketknife and picked Dipper up into his arms. One hand held Dipper's knees while the other supported his back. Ford tried not to grimace at the extra weight he carried and focused on getting away as fast as possible. Dipper hung limp in his arms but Ford had to remind himself that Mabel checked for a pulse and saw his breathing. 'He would be okay', 'He would be okay', 'He would be okay', Ford chanted to himself internally with each step as he ran.

Mabel smiled when she saw Ford run up to her and Stan holding Dipper. The two males were painted black with soot that mirrored the night sky but were alive nonetheless.

"You made it!" Mabel said happily.

Stan released his grip on his great niece and the old man had to smile. Ford set Dipper on the ground then sat down next to him. Mabel threw her arms around Ford's neck but something was missing. She scanned the area around the Pines family and noticed that Dipper's backpack was nowhere near.

"Dipper's backpack, he's got the journals in there" Mabel panted.

She leapt to her feet and ran back to the jeep before Stan or Ford could stop her. Like Ford, Mabel covered her mouth and nose with the neck of her sweater. She headed straight for the passenger side and searched through the smoke and flames for the backpacks. The smoke was thick and stung Mabel's eyes but she only squinted and looked harder. She finally found it sitting on a miraculously dry patch on the floor.

"Bingo," she said muffled by the sweater.

Mabel snatched up the backpack, held it to her chest, and ran for dear life back to her family.

"What were you thinking Mabel? You could have gotten hurt," Ford said sternly.

"I had to get Dipper's journals," Mabel answered in a tired voice and set the backpack down by Dipper.

Sirens from the ambulance, police, and fire truck shrilled loudly with their blue colored lights flashing.

"About time those guys got here," Stan muttered.

Mabel and Stan waved their arms over to the vehicles to get their attention. They immediately set Dipper on a stretcher with an oxygen mask and loaded him into the ambulance. Ford was also checked out by a doctor but insisted that he was okay. Mabel held on to the backpack tightly and stared at the disappearing ambulance.

"He'll be fine sweetie, your brother's taken on monsters tougher than this" Stan reassuringly.

"I know he will grunkle Stan" Mabel said.

"I'm going to head over to the hospital and check on him. How's about you and Ford stay here and get cleaned up. Come over when you both are ready and I'll keep you guys updated" Stan said.

Mabel nodded and suddenly realized how tired she was. All of the adrenaline that was previously pumping through her veins had evaporated. Her knees shook and she almost stumbled if Stan had not caught her.

"Careful honey or you'll be sleeping with the squirrels," Stan joked.

"I hope their beds are comfortable," Mabel said sleepily.

Stan sighed in resignation and scooped up Mabel along with the backpack. Thankfully she was petite like Dipper but she was still dead weight and Stan was huffing by the time they reached the Shack. Stan carefully deposited Mabel in the recliner in the living room and draped a blanket over her. Her brown eyes had gone out not long after Stan swept her up. She still clung to the backpack like a child held a teddy bear.

"It's not as easy as it looks," Ford commented.

Stan spun around to face his brother. "Not my fault we're just getting old".

Ford wrinkled his nose but still smiled. He walked over to Stan and placed a six fingered hand on his shoulder.

"I'll bring Mabel to the hospital when she wakes up," the genius said.

Stan nodded and headed towards the door to grab his car keys. He looked out the window to see the fire fighters work on hosing out the fire and salvaging whatever was left of Dipper's jeep and the possessions within it.

"Hey, uh, thanks for getting the kid out" Stan said awkwardly turning his head back to Ford.

Ford's eyebrows shot up in confusion but dropped them and he kept a neutral face.

"No need to thank me, Stanley. Dipper and Mabel are family and I would do anything for them," he said.

"I know, brother" Stan said while twirling the keys around his finger absentmindedly.

"Well, time to hole up in the land of antiseptic and bed pans. I'll call if I hear anything before you guys get there," Stan opened the door and left for his car.

Ford was alone in the dark house. Well, he had Mabel but at the moment she was passed out like a bear in the winter. The old man rubbed his face with his hands and decided that sleep would be a good option for him. Ford walked to his old bedroom downstairs that used to contain the body swapping carpet (that was one experiment he could live without).

Soos gave Ford back his room when he returned and moved out of the basement. A cot was still kept down there but Ford was in need of a bed at the moment. Ford still worked in the basement but made an effort to stop spending nights when Stan joked that he was becoming a mole. Besides, this also opened Ford up to spending more time interacting the kids and made him see that there was more to life than figuring out the mysteries of Gravity Falls. He still worked on studying the paranormal with Dipper but it became more like a day job and Mabel always made Ford be done by dinner.

Ford moved to remove his coat only to realize that he left it by wreckage when he went to rescue Dipper. Instead, he took off his sweater and boots but kept his black pants on. After thirty years of being prepared for the worst the dimension he was in had to offer, Ford learned that old habits die hard. He took off his fingerless glove but refrained from taking off the fully handed one. Underneath the fabric the organ was throbbing painfully. Soon the pain grew to be too much and Ford had no choice but take off the glove. Slowly and with his eye closed, Ford pulled off the accessory. His nerves and joints tingled uncomfortably with each tug until Ford just decided to yank it off.

"Ah! Damn it," he hissed so that he would not wake up Mabel.

The cool air made his hand feel a bit better but not by much. Pulling on Dipper's door and then carrying the teen caused Ford to blow out his hand. A shred of naked moonlight shined through a window in the room, illuminating Ford's hand. Ford grimaced at the distorted, darkened sight if his hand. The light revealed his hand to be gnarled like tree branches and wrinkled. It was smaller than the other and the wrist was too thin for him to wear a watch. Tremors shook the hand and it hurt to clench. The skin was paler than normal due to being hidden by the glove. With each passing year the shakes grew worse and Ford wondered how long it would be until the organ would be useless. But that bridge would need to be crossed later. Right now the man needed to sleep.

Ford removed his glasses and placed them on the nightstand. He crawled under the covers and was careful to not bang his hand hard against the sheets. Sleep quickly came over him and he drifted off.

 _The next few days passed by in a flash. It is a beautiful Monday morning with the sun shining and bird chirping a song from their nests within the pine tree of the forest. Business is slow but the Pines family uses this to their advantage. A vintage, slightly rusted Winnebago was parked on the lawn with the door open. For the past hour Dipper and Mabel had been loading suitcases and bags containing supplies into the vehicle. Stan and Ford stood on the porch watching their great niece and nephew work. Stan was decked out in his typical vacation attire of white pants paired with a light blue Hawaiian shirt. Mabel attempted to talk Ford into wearing a matching shirt in red but he declined. However, that did not stop the eccentric twelve year old's scheme to dress her new great uncle in a something other than his "soldier from space" look. Ford compromised by wearing a decent looking black knockoff Tommy Bahama shirt that was decorated with green tropical flowers, and a pair of brown pants graces his legs. Earlier, Mabel attempted to channel her inner paparazzi and snap a picture of her great uncles with a disposable camera. Dipper even admitted to himself that their expressions of surprise and horror were pretty funny._

 _"Hey kids, is that thing ready yet?" Stan asked from his place on the porch._

 _"Almost!" Mabel called back with a wave._

 _After Bill was banished, the Pines family decided that with the only major threat to the portal defeated there was no need for animosity. So Stan, for the first time in his life, called a truce to end the war. It was not a surprise that Ford was hesitant to accept the offer. How does one wipe away thirty years of being thrown out of time because of your sibling? Oddly enough, Stan had the answer._

" _You ever been to Vegas?"_

 _With that being said, arrangements for a weekend trip were made. Stan and Ford were to use a Winnebago, given to them by Soos' cousin Reggie, to drive to Nevada. There they would camp in the desert and stargaze, then spend an evening on the town in Las Vegas so that Stan could show his brother what he had missed out on in the past three decades. This trip was the perfect opportunity for the brothers to catch up and hopefully forgive each other for causing so much pain._

 _Dipper was loading up the final bag; a leather, cylinder case that contained Ford's beloved telescope. The tool was a gift to Ford from McGucket, back then he was known as Fiddleford, during their college days. Dipper was captivated by the beauty of the vintage telescope and immediately asked Ford if he could use it for stargazing. Ford agreed on the condition that he take Dipper star gazing himself with the reason that the telescope was harder to function than it looked and would require his help. Dipper saw through this lie pretty quickly but accepted the terms without a word._

 _What Dipper had only recently realized was that the telescope was definitely heavier than it looked. The boy had a barely decent grip on the case, which for some strange reason came with no handle. His arms were wrapped around the case and a tripod was balanced between his chest and heavy box. Dipper's arms were quickly turning to pudding and he was more than happy to be close to his destination._

 _"Whoa!"_

 _Until his foot caught the edge of the last step. Gravity acted and sent Dipper falling forward. He stumbled around until he could find his footing and place the telescope and tri pod safely on the table._

 _"Dipper please be careful with that," Ford said._

 _"Sorry great uncle Ford," Dipper made sure that the case and tri pod were secure._

 _"I'm glad that grunkle Stan and Ford are taking this trip. They need some bro bro bonding," Mabel said entering the RV._

 _"I agree, though I don't see them referring to this as bro bro bonding" Dipper said._

 _"Well, what else are they going call it?" Mabel asked throwing her hands in the air._

 _"I don't know, maybe a road trip?" Dipper raised an eye brow and was earned a shove to his shoulder, which he retaliated._

 _The mystery twins exited the vehicle and came upon their great uncles in a debate._

 _Honestly Stanley, I don't see how you think that you can win at gambling. It's all a game of chance that is specifically rigged against the player to lose," Ford said._

" _When you have spent your adult life as a professional con artist, you learn a thing or two. I like to call it showing off my trade" Stan explained with a sly smile._

" _I like to call it being a crook," Ford said matching Stan's smile with a smirk._

" _Details, details," Stan threw a casual arm around Ford's shoulders._

" _You'll see when we hit the casinos. I guarantee that we'll bring back a fortune from the poker tables and roulette wheels," Stan gestured with his free hand in a sweeping motion._

" _Or we'll be broke and in some more serious debt," Ford shrugged off Stan's arm._

" _You could always go on another game show," Mabel commented._

 _She had perched herself on the railing of the porch. One hand held on the support beam while her legs dangled freely over the edge._

 _Stan crossed his arms and frowned at Mabel's suggestion._

" _Game shows are for suckers who don't know how to gamble," Stan said shortly._

 _Ford raised a questioning eye brow and looked to Mabel for answers._

" _Let's just say he recently learned how to say please," Mabel answered Ford._

" _You should have seen our mom attempt to teach him manners," Ford said in a dry tone._

" _At least he now knows how to say please and won't blow it during the last few seconds of the bonus round" Mabel said._

" _Keep it up little missy and you'll be cleaning the gutters with your brother," Stan threatened while pointing a finger at Mabel._

" _Wait, what?" Dipper said in a clueless tone from his spot at the entrance of the RV._

 _Ford cracked a small grin at his brother's threat._

 _"Don't be mad at her just because you picked the wrong time to learn your manners," Ford chided._

 _This caused Dipper and Mabel to erupt into giggles at the expense of their great uncle._

" _Al right, al right, we're burning daylight people. Are the bags packed yet?" Stan asked gruffly._

" _Yep, everything is all ready," Mabel ceased her laughter along with Dipper._

" _Bout' time, let's go Ford, Vegas awaits," Stan said and headed towards the RV with Ford following behind._

 _Ford gave Mabel a small hug and shook Dipper's hand in a firm handshake. Mabel hugged Stan tightly, who made a show of his disgust by the affection but his eyes were soft by the gesture. Stan sat himself down in the driver's seat with Ford riding shotgun._

" _Make sure to earn some cash while we're gone!" Stan hollered out the window and Ford honked the horn in goodbye._

 _Dipper and Mabel waved to their uncles until the RV disappeared down the road. The twins shared a rather mischievous look with each other._

 _"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Dipper smirked._

 _"Oh yeah broseph," Mabel mirrored her brother's smirk with a diabolical grin of her own._

 _"Extreme water balloon war!" the twins yelled in unison._

 _After recruiting Soos and Wendy to fill the balloons, the war was on in an epic battle of the sexes. With Dipper's intelligence and Soos' brawn the males came out to be an impressive team._

 _Until Mabel and Wendy took the fight into the trees._

 _"Dudes, isn't that illegal?" Soos asked staring up at the sky._

 _The girls were each sitting on a branch between two trees, surrounding Dipper and Soos. Mabel and Wendy each had a pile of water balloons ready to open fire._

 _"Soos, haven't you learned by now that there are no rules at the Mystery Shack?" Wendy taunted and stood up on her branch._

 _The lumber Jill balanced herself perfectly on the branch with the skill of a dancer. She gripped the tree trunk with one hand and aimed a water balloon with the other. Dipper couldn't help but blush at the sight of Wendy resembling an Amazon warrior. Unfortunately, he failed to realize until the last second that he was the hunter lamb._

 _Uh-oh_

 _"Fire!"_

 _"Splash!"_

 _A rain of water balloons fell from the sky like a plague and soaked the boys. Dipper's light blue hat turned a navy color from the water and his clothes were soaking. Soos wasn't much better off except for his shirt being more wet than his shorts. Lucky him._

 _Mabel and Wendy down their respective trees and gave a triumphant high five._

 _"Girls rule, boys drool" Mabel said cockily._

 _"Couldn't have said it better myself," Wendy said putting her hands on her hips._

 _"You two may have won this battle but the war is still on," Dipper said raising a finger for emphasis._

 _"We'll take you guys on any day of the week," Wendy said._

 _"Yeah, it's fun kicking your butts" Mabel said._

 _The group headed back to the Mystery Shack to dry off and change. Soos was staying with the twins while the Stans were away so brought luggage with him. Wendy left for home after drying off to go help her father with dinner. Apparently it was hunting season and he nailed a good sized buck._

 _After drying off and changing into loose clothing, the trio was lounging in the den with the television going. Dipper was indulged in his battered copy of Ender's Game while Mabel watched an old movie with Soos and petting Waddles. Everyone was in a relaxed state of mind and was content to be that way for the rest of the evening._

 _Until the damn phone rang and shattered the calmness._

 _"I'll get it," Soos said getting out of the recliner and going to the kitchen._

 _Mabel and Dipper paid the handyman no mind and continued with their activities. A minute later Soos returned to the den with a worried expression._

 _"Uh, dudes, Stan just called and said that he wants us to meet him at the town line"._

 _Dipper and Mabel dropped what they were doing and looked at each other with expressions of confusion and worry. The trio rushed to Soo's pick-up truck and drove towards the town line._

" _Do you think there was an accident?" Dipper asked._

" _I don't know dude, but if there was I would have heard sirens in the background," Soos replied._

 _Mabel busied herself by staring out the window. Her knees were up to her chest and she had pulled the sweater she was wearing around her knees. Dipper took a closer look and thought that he saw her eyes grow misty. He slid a hand over and held hers in a comforting grip. Mabel turned her head from the window and smiled softly at her brother._

" _Don't worry dudes; I'm sure everything is fine. If there was an accident your uncle would have had me call 911 and not ask me to bring you here" Soos reassured the twins._

 _The Hispanic man had a calm smile on his face which made the twins feel a little better. When they got to the town line they were relieved to see no cops or ambulances. The Winnebago was the only vehicle standing, save for Soo's truck, with no damage to it. Unfortunately their fears were not put to rest when they saw Stan outside the RV crouched down with his arms around someone. Ford was nowhere in sight. Soos barely had enough time to stop the truck before Dipper and Mabel opened the door and jumped out._

" _Grunkle Stan!" Mabel yelled._

 _The twins skidded to the stop in front of their uncle and fell to their knees in order to get a closer look._

" _What happened? W-where's Ford" Dipper asked looking around for any sign of the author._

 _Stan sighed heavily and the old man suddenly looked his age._

" _Kids, we've got a problem," he said looking down at the person he was holding._

 _Dipper and Mabel followed his gaze to see a brittle skeleton. No, not a skeleton. There was still skin._

 _It was an old man who appeared to have no more than minutes to live. He could barely breathe and the clothing smothered him. Strands of white hair stuck to his head around a shining bald spot. But what stood out the most was his skin. It was wrinkled and gnarled like elephant skin. His cheeks were sunken in so deep that it made his eye bulge and appeared to be withering away, making his head resemble a skull._

" _Who is he?" Mabel asked looking at the man._

 _The old man coughed a little but the action made his body shake in tremors._

" _M-Mabel, it's m-me" he croaked._

 _Mabel furrowed her eye brows in confusion. The artist moved closer to the old man until they were eye to eye. His tired eyes were a milky color indicting that he was blind. Mabel raked her eyes over his face taking in every little detail to find something that stood out and seemed familiar to her._

 _Dipper moved closer to his sister. Like Mabel he studied the old man to catch any familiarities. Dipper moved on from his face and traveled down the neck, the torso, and then his arms. He stopped at the hands. Only one hand was visible but Dipper's eyes widened when he counted six fingers on the gnarled organ._

 _Bingo._

" _Uncle Ford," Dipper whispered._

 _The old man nodded slowly in confirmation. Mabel gasped slightly and covered her hands over her mouth in shock._

" _How did this happen?" Mabel asked._

" _I'm not sure. We were about to drive over the town line when this, I don't know, wave of energy happened. Just as were over the line I heard gasping and a thump. I looked over and saw that Ford had collapsed so I stopped the RV and went to check him out. He had fallen right by the stairs so I opened up the door and took him out" Stan sighed tiredly._

" _Right in front of me, he began to change. His skin twisted and wrinkled up like an old prune and his hair turned gray and fell out. He couldn't breathe and I didn't know what to do"._

 _Underneath Stan's gravelly voice, Dipper could hear the con man quietly choke on his words. A lone tear creeped to the edge of his eye but Stan blinked it back before the liquid could make itself known. For the second time that summer, Dipper felt sorry for him. The twelve year old narrowed his brown eyes in thought._

" _You said this happened right as you guys went to over the line out of Gravity Falls?" Dipper asked._

 _Dipper went back to the road that was a few feet away from the RV. A line of black spray paint was drawn in a line on the ground to illustrate the town line. Wendy claimed that it was the Northwest's' who had done it so that they would better know the location of their property lines._

 _"Did you hear me stutter?" Stan snapped._

 _Dipper winced but allowed the comment to roll off of him. He didn't blame the man who being on edge._

 _"Let's try moving him back over the line," Mabel suggested._

 _Not having many other options, Stan nodded and had Dipper help him move Ford as gently as possible. The males propped Ford against a tree that was standing on the side of the road that led back into town. A gentle breeze was blowing that ruffled everyone's hair. Ford leaned back in content with the cool temperature. His breathing was still shallow but only slightly better._

 _"I just don't get what could have caused this," Dipper said puzzled._

 _"Who knows kid? Maybe time works differently wherever Ford was sent to and it's all catching up with him," Stan shrugged._

 _Dipper had taken to pacing. "Yeah, but, it's still weird that it happened right as you two were leaving Gravity Falls. Time could have caught up with Ford the minute he stepped out of the portal, instead it chose now. There's more to it than this,"_

 _"Well I'll tell you one thing and it's that Father Time sure has some weird timing" Mabel said._

 _Dipper perked up at his sister's words._

 _"Say that again, Mabel"._

 _Mabel shot her twin a confused expression. "Uh, I just said that Father Time has some weird timing. Bro, where are you going with this?"_

 _"Your nightmare has only begun and will continue to grow until you're nothing but a withering shell," Bill's words rang in Dipper's mind like an angry bell._

 _Dipper felt every sensation leave his body and travel south to his feet. He felt very weak and almost clammy as it all was now being pieced._

 _"Bill," Dipper whispered as though saying the demon's name louder would summon him back._

 _Stan took his eyes off Ford to look at his great nephew with suspicion and curiosity._

 _"What are you mumbling about, kid?" he asked._

 _"I think this is all happening because of Bill. As we banished him, he swore vengeance on us and said that Ford's nightmare would grow until we was… well…a" Dipper struggled to say the final word._

 _"Spit it out, Dipper" Stan snapped._

 _Dipper glanced at Ford's withered body and sighed._

 _"Bill said a withering shell. I didn't think he meant literally"._

 _Mabel covered her open mouth with her hands while Stan's features turned icy. He strode over to Dipper and towered over the boy. The old man opened his mouth but before he could utter a single word he was cut off by a-_

 _"Crack!"_

 _"Guys look!" Mabel cried pointing to Ford._

 _Stan and Dipper broke their standoff and turned their attention to the little girl._

 _The sound of breaking bones and agonized screams filled the air. Soos, who had opted to stand by his truck out of respect for the Pines' family, rushed over to join the ranks. Ford was on his knees in pain and gripping his stomach. Sweat poured down his head freely, the silver curls of his hair turned gray from the perspiration. He lifted himself on to one knee with effort and there was another crack as his hunchback was straightening itself up. Ford's skin seemed put roll back into place and fill out with fat. His eyes were no longer milky with blindness and were now their original color of black coffee. Shapes and colors came back into focus and Ford was no longer swimming in darkness. His hair sprouted like grass on the top of his head and did not stop until every strand of ebony and silver hair had grown back. Ford stood in front of his family members and Soos as though nothing since he left the Shack happened._

 _"My god," Ford croaked._

 _He held of out his six-fingered hands and almost collapsed when he saw that his left and was still as wrinkled and knotted as it was before. His left hand suddenly felt like it weighed ten tons. Several seconds passed but the hand did not change back to normal like the rest of Ford's body._

 _The Pines' family and Soos stood there with their jaws open so wide a colony of flies could fly right in and go unnoticed. Finally Mabel decided to be the one to break the silence._

 _"Well…uh… at least you got your good looks back," Mabel smiled awkwardly._

 _Ford clenched his deformed fist and glared. The remaining men snapped out of their stupor._

 _"Ford, is there any chance that triangle from hell is causing this?" Stan asked._

 _Ford pressed his lips together but nodded slowly. "Yes, that's the only explanation I can think of. I guess since we locked him away, he wanted to leave a little present behind" he laughed humorlessly._

 _Soos scratched the back of his head awkwardly. The Hispanic man considered the Pines to be family but at that moment he felt like an outsider._

 _Mabel stepped forward and gently wrapped her arms Ford and held him tightly. Ford stiffened at first but encircled his great niece and returned the hug. His grip was tight but not enough to hurt her. Mabel patted Ford's back lightly like her mother used to do when she was little and needed comforting. Wet drops landed on the shoulder of Mabel's sweater but she didn't dare to say anything about it and just continued to hold him._

 _"What do we do now?" Soos asked._

 _Ford snapped back to reality, released Mabel, and quickly wiped away any rogue tears. He stood up but held Mabel's and walked over to his family. With a tired sigh, Ford slung an arm around Stan's shoulder and Mabel pulled Dipper into the huddle with her free hand._

 _"What we Pines have always done; survive,"._

.


	5. Dishes of Laughter

Dipper found himself standing in the heart of the forest. He recognized this area from his many adventures with Mabel, and later with Ford. It was nightfall and the trees stood tall casting shadows against the moonlight. Stars twinkled at the very top of the trees through the gaps. Slivers of light shined down through these gaps like spotlights.

Dipper deeply inhaled the scent of pine needles and wood. His senses triggered memories of hunting creatures depicted in the journals for observation. The teenager's heart pounded as he remembered searching for a Gremloblin as a "real life" attraction for the Mystery Shack. If Ford saw him take that creature, the old man would have been proud.

The teen sat down at the base of a pine tree and reclined himself against the bark. An owl hooted in the distance while the crickets and frogs serenaded the brunette with their sweet melody.

Suddenly, a long howl broke the peace and tranquility. The music stopped as though even one sound would anger the creature. The crickets and frogs retreated to their burrows and the owl flew to safety.

Dipper jumped to his feet and scanned his surroundings.

"Who's there?" he called out.

His chocolate colored eyes paid specific attention to the shadows in case the creature decided to jump out.

The sound of thudding paws shook the ground.

'Okay, there were a few things this thing could be' Dipper thought to himself.

His options ranged from creatures as large as a griffin to a grey wolf. Dipper knew how to handle Griffins but he didn't have any weapons that could protect him from a wolf, besides his speed.

The pounding grew louder as Dipper quickly tried to come up with a plan. His best bet was to climb the trees until the creature left. It was a coward's plan but when one has no weapons in the forest, with a creature coming for them, you learn to suck up your pride.

Dipper got to work on climbing the nearest tree and managed to get to a decently high branch. It would keep him away from the creature but also gave him a view on what it was.

Out of the shadows crept a large wolf. This wolf was the size of a Grizzly bear with fur as dark as Obsidian. Dipper would not have seen this creature if it were not for the glowing orange eyes that shined in the darkness. Its paws were the size of garbage can lids. The wolf prowled the area with grace and a certain beauty that this creature alone could portray. Dipper's fears vanished as he knew this creature well.

"Hey!" Dipper called from his branch.

The wolf looked up and met Dipper's eyes, orange to brown. Dipper slid down from the tree and stood in front of the wolf.

"Boy am I glad to see you," Dipper said relieved.

Dipper slid down the tree and stood in front of the wolf. Their height difference was obvious as man and beast stood facing each other as equals. Dipper reached up to pet its neck affectionately and the creature leaned into his touch. A low rumble sounded in its throat with contentment.

The cloud opened way for the full moon to shine with all its glory. Pure light beamed through the gap in the trees and shined down on the two. The wolf's muscles tensed under Dipper's touch and moved away from him.

"What's wrong?" Dipper asked.

The beast curled its lip back, revealing sharp yellowed fangs, in a snarl. Orange eyes that were once the shade of a peaceful sunset glowed hungrily. Dipper stepped back but the wolf advanced towards him until he was backed up against the tree.

"D-don't do this, we're friends," Dipper stammered.

His pleas fell on deaf ears as saliva drizzled from the mouth of the wolf. The beast towered over Dipper and its saliva landed on his head like disgusting raindrops. It growled in hunger and inched its snout until it was an inch from Dipper's face.

Dipper saw his terrified reflection in the sinister eyes. For a second, the evilness was replaced with a soft brown. The posture of the wolf slackened and it stepped back. Dipper slowed his breathing and felt relieved.

"SNAP!"

All Dipper saw were gold fangs and felt a jolt of pain.

"No!"

Dipper shot up out of the nightmare. His heart was racing like he had just outrun a bear and sweat coated his back.

He patted down his face and torso to see if his limbs were still intact and wound up smacking himself with each pat.

"Two arms, a chest, and a face," Dipper winced as the picture of the fangs came to mind.

"Whoa kid, take it easy," Stan's rough voice spoke out.

Dipper jerked his head to the right and saw Stan sitting in a plastic chair with his legs crossed. The teen checked out his surroundings to see that he was lying in a bed with white sheets and a rough blue blanket. His clothes, hat, and glasses were missing. A paper thin hospital gown covered Dipper's upper body but left plenty to the imagination of below the hips.

"Must have been a hell of a nightmare, you were screaming like a girl," Stan asked.

Dipper tried to speak but the dryness of his throat prevented anything more than a sound that resembled crumpling paper emitting. Stan walked over to the side table and poured water into a plastic cup from a pitcher.

"Here, drink up," Stan handed Dipper the glass.

Dipper gladly took the cup and drank the liquid with gusto.

"Thanks," Dipper's voiced was still rough but manageable.

"No problem, kid. Do you know why we're in the hospital?" Stan asked again.

Fuzzy images from last night were brought to the surface. Mabel's pleading voice, driving at high speeds, and then a flash of red. After that there were no more.

"Yeah, I think I was in an accident," Dipper answered rubbing his temples.

"You were driving like a maniac down the driveway and hit a tree head on. Mabel waited up for you and saw the whole thing. Your jeep caught on fire but Ford got you out," Stan explained.

"What about my stuff?" Dipper's blood ran cold at the thought of the journals getting left behind in the fire and being reduced to a matching set of ashes.

"If by stuff you mean the journals, they're fine. Mabel ran back and got them out," Stan said.

Dipper released a sigh of relief that left him feeling weak in the stomach.

"What did the doctor say?" Dipper asked once he calmed his racing heart.

"The major injury was the head from when you hit the steering wheel. You've also got some pretty scratches on your arms from the glass. Other than that you'll be fine. The doctor was near damn surprised that you weren't a vegetable considering the accident you were in," Stan said.

"The good news is that we can get you out today,".

"Awesome," Dipper grinned.

"I called the house when the doctor told us the news. She's waiting outside with Ford and I'd recommend you let her in before the nurses go stir crazy," Stan warned.

Dipper chuckled, "Tell them both to come in,".

Stan nodded and left the room.

A second later, Mabel bounded into the hospital room with all of her bright smiles and personality. She was wearing a sweater that was the different colors of the rainbow with a pair of cut off shorts and flip flops. Mabel's wavy hair, a contrast to Dipper's curly mess, flowed around her shoulders. A bulking cloth tote bag that acted as her purse swung from Mabel's shoulder.

Mabel blossomed in her teenage years. When her braces were taken off at the start of high school, a gorgeous smile rose from the ashes of metal. Mabel's body developed from her height to her assets. Unlike Dipper and his rail thin body, Mabel had curves and plumb legs. On her left wrist was the word Wanderlust tattooed in a dark, elegant script. She received the tattoo the same day that Dipper had his shoulder blades permanently marked with a cipher. The tattoos were Mabel's idea of an eighteenth birthday present to themselves.

"Dipper, you're awake!" Mabel hurried to Dipper's bedside and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Dipper bit back a yelp of pain as he did not want to dampen Mabel's cheery mood. He returned the hug, though with less force.

"I brought you a change of clothes, figured you'd want to wear something clean when you leave this place," Mabel released her brother and slid the bag off her shoulder.

Dipper took the bag and looked inside to see a set of folded clothes, a spare glasses case, a pair of flip flops, and a new pine tree trucker hat.

"Mabel, what happened to my other hat?" Dipper asked with a confused frown.

Mabel's grin faded into a guilty expression.

"Uum… you see… your hat got burned up with the rest of your stuff. I saved the journals but your duffel bag got lost in the fire. I'm really sorry, bro, I know you loved that hat," Mabel apologized and seemed to be close to tears.

"That's okay, Mabes. I'm just glad you saved the journals" Dipper reassured.

Mabel gave a small smile and Dipper took the hat out of the bag and placed it on top of his curls.

"Besides, you did say that the old one was starting to smell. Now we don't have to worry about wildlife invading the Shack," Dipper joked.

"It would be just like Saint Mabel's Pet and Rescue," Mabel said.

Dipper's smile dropped at the memory. When they were fifteen, Mabel had the bright idea to run a pet sitting business that doubled as an animal rescue. In a couple of days, Mabel was set up with several clients and had taken in five animals. Unfortunately the female Pines twin brought her work home so the attic became a play room for the animals. Dipper knew that Mabel's heart was in the right place but he had to put his foot down when a goat thought that Journal 3 would make a tasty snack. Needless to say, Dipper found the missing pages a few days later.

"How could I forget about Saint Mabel's?" Dipper said with a grimace.

"Oh don't say it like that, dip dop. It worked out pretty well," Mabel defended.

"You mean until the animals got out of our room and ran loose in the gift shop?" Dipper asked in a wry manner.

"So we lost a few pieces of merchandise, big whup. The point is that I gave some animals a good home," Mabel crossed her arms over her chest proudly.

"Don't forget that we went broke that summer because we had to pay for the damaged stuff," Dipper reminded.

Mabel shrugged. "At least Gompers got himself a Gigi,".

Gigi was a pretty black and white spotted female goat that Mabel had taken in that summer. Apparently she believed that Gompers needed a rebound after Waddles "ended their relationship". Waddles tried to bite the goat after he got a little frisky. Gigi was taken in to a good home but got out to visit the Mystery Shack.

"Anyway, hurry up and get dressed so we can go to Greasy's for breakfast," Mabel stretched the word anyway in her excitement.

Dipper's stomach grumbled at the mention of food, even if it was Greasy's. The stomach of the adventurer was a chasm begging to be filled with sustenance as the candy and soda had long been digested.

"That sounds really good, sis. Just tell the Stans that I'll be ready in a bit," Dipper shifted his weight to turn around and face the side of the bed.

Mabel moved out of the way. Dipper was not hooked up to any IV's, which made leaving easier.

Dipper swung his legs over the side and touched the cold ground. A shiver shook his nerves and traveled all the way up his body until it ended at his head. Goosebumps graced his arms and body hair stood up like a static charge.

Dipper grabbed the clothes and walked quickly to the bathroom. He dressed in the denim shorts, white shirt, and brown flip flops that Mabel provided. Dipper removed the replacement glasses from their place in the case ad slid them on to his nose. He was thrilled to not have to beg his mother to send over a pair of new glasses. The teen already had a history with misplacing his glasses and it was a pain to get a new prescription.

Dipper gazed at his reflection in the oily mirror. The bags that were once coated under his eyes had shaped back up into the skin, like he had gotten some actual sleep. His skin was pale but seemed healthy. Loose curls peeked from under the brim of the trucker hat, showing that his hair needed a good brush.

Looking closer, Dipper saw a flash of shiny adhesive hiding under the chocolate strands. He moved his hat and hair back to see a white bandage placed on his forehead. Little blotches of rust colored blood bled through the cloth.

"Looks like I found the steering wheel," Dipper muttered.

Dipper winced as his fingers brushed a red welt on his cheek. The injury was red, like his head, and warm to the touch.

"Must have been from the air bag," Dipper frowned at his reflection, the action pulling at the adhesive sticking to his head.

He brushed his hair so that it covered up the bandage and placed the cap back on his head. Lines stuck out in the corner of his eye and Dipper looked down to see scratches decorate his arms. Some were small and jagged while others were long. The deeper ones would without a doubt leave scars, but that was nothing new to Dipper.

" _So where do you keep that journal anyway?"_

" _Boy, these arms are durable,"_

The annoying high pitched voice that haunted Dipper's nightmares echoed inside his head. Even though it was years ago, Dipper could still remember in great detail the abuse Bill had inflicted on his body.

When Dipper had returned to his body, the pain sucker punched him and brought the boy down to one knee. Mabel talked Stan into taking Dipper to the hospital right away claiming that Dipper hurt himself in the scuffle. Not a total lie but it did the trick. Dipper walked out of the hospital but bruised ribs and a sprained wrist. But what most concerned the doctors were the scratches embedded in his arm. Dipper and Mabel had to explain why Dipper accidentally slammed his arm _repeatedly_ in the drawer. A nurse was just about to call child protective services but Mabel stepped in and testified that there was a rat in the drawer and she had gone overboard in trying to kill it. The doctors and nurses believed the story well enough but it took some time to convince Stan, a man who lied for a living. Thankfully he cooled off and the twins were grounded to their attic bedroom while Dipper recovered.

"Bro bro, did you find Narnia in there? If you did, you better come back and get me because I want to meet Mr. Tumnus," Mabel's voice rang through the door.

"Be right out!," Dipper called and made haste in changing his clothes.

The clothes were pieces he had left behind in his wardrobe over the years to make room for the treasure he brought home from Gravity Falls. It was a good thing that Dipper had finished growing in his teens.

Dipper shut the door to the bathroom and joined his sister in the empty hospital room. Mabel bounced vigorously on the balls of her feet.

"Come on, slow poke, I want to get to Greasy's," Mabel grabbed Dipper's arm and ushered him to the door.

"Slow down a minute, Mabel. It's just Greasy's, not like that place is going to fly away," Dipper said but stopped to think on his choice of words.

"In this town that would be normal. I want to see the girls," Mabel shoved Dipper out the door and followed behind.

Stan and Ford looked up from their discussion when the twins entered. Dark circles were evident under each of the brothers' eyes and if Ford would have gone another week without shaving and put on a few pounds, he would be a clone of Stan instead of a twin.

"Dipper! I'm glad to see you are looking well," Ford said with a smile.

"Yeah, just a little banged up but I'll manage," Dipper dusted himself off, trying to look impressive.

Ford continued to act as an idol for Dipper and the teen strived to always make him proud. When their parents broke the news of their divorce, the year was difficult for the twins. The incident from that summer haunted the family and the divorce was only an earthquake after a bomb.

Mabel did not take the news well and she fell further into sadness when she caught sight of the settlement papers in the mail that summer. School started soon after they arrived back in Piedmont and Mabel just gave up trying, which caused her grades to suffer.

While their mother was busy sorting out the divorce and going back to school, Dipper took it upon himself to be the man of the house. It started with suggesting that he and Mabel take their homework to the park. Dipper could see that while Mabel was struggling with the work, she didn't put much effort into solving. The boy tried numerous ways to get motivate her into at least trying, but it was no use. Finally, he asked:

" _Do you want to go on the swings?"_

 _That got Mabel's attention and the two raced each other to a set of open swings. The siblings pumped their legs and climbed higher and higher into the sky. Dipper hung back once his legs began to ache but watched Mabel intently. The sweater making artist seemed to have an endless bound of energy, no surprise there, but it wasn't her usual perky joy. Her features were contorted in determination. The power of her legs did not slow down, in fact she seemed to be moving harder and harder, as though she were trying to push the sadness out of her. Sweat glazed her forehead and Dipper was certain that there would be a pool on her back._

 _Dipper feared that she was going too fast and would eventually fall, or worse, the swing would break. He inched closer to Mabel's swinging form and waited for just the right moment to grab the chain._

 _When the moment came, Dipper quickly reached for the chain and held on. He was almost pulled from his seat but hung on tight. Mabel's swing slowed down until it was a lazy pendulum and stopped. Mabel didn't let go of the chains and kept her gaze to the woodchips underneath her feet._

" _Mabel, can we talk about it?" Dipper asked softly._

 _Mabel narrowed her eyes but didn't look up._

" _Why is all of this happening?" she whispered._

 _Dipper heard her loud and clear. A sour expression shadowed her face, a far cry from her usual smile._

 _Dipper sighed, "You don't mean just mom and dad splitting up, do you?"_

" _I mean, why is all of this bad stuff happening to our family? We're thirteen and the only thing we should be worried about is pimples and body parts. Grunkle Ford is trapped in Gravity Falls and our parents are splitting up. How do we know that we won't be separated?" Mabel asked._

 _She raised her head and Dipper could see tears twinkling in her eyes. Her lip quivered and she was stumbling over her words._

 _Anger filled Dipper's heart at the sight of his sister. He was furious at Bill for what he had done to Ford and his parents for giving up so easily._

 _Dipper got out of his swing and strode over to Mabel to take her into his arms. Mabel let go of the chains and slumped herself over her brother. The fears fell from her oak eyes like shooting stars and sobs escaped from her lips. Dipper held on tight and let his twin cry until there was nothing left._

 _They stood like that until the sun was starting set behind the trees. Mabel released her hold on Dipper and sat back in the swing. Her face was blotchy from crying and lines from the tears trailed down her cheeks._

 _Dipper placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting grip and cupped her chin to have her look him in the eye. The Mystery twins met each other's matching eyes and stared like they were looking in a two-way mirror._

" _Mabel, I promise that whatever happens we will not be separated. Even though things are pretty tough now, they will get better. Mom and dad will figure it out and make it so they will never be apart. As for Ford, he has grunkle Stan with him and they'll find a cure to fix this. We'll also be going back next summer and they said we can call if we ever need to talk or need anything. Things are just different now but we'll always have each other, no matter what," Dipper vowed._

 _Mabel tried to wipe her nose with the sleeve of her sweater but Dipper took a tissue from his pocket and cleaned her up._

" _Do you promise?" Mabel sniffed._

 _Dipper nodded firmly. "I'll give up mysteries before I let anything happen to us,"_

After that day, Dipper took it upon himself to make Mabel have no worries. Every day the two went to the park to do homework or to just get away. Dipper worked with Mabel on her school work and her grades slowly climbed back up.

There were days that were worse than others. The twins were entering the waters of adolescence and with that came hormones and flaring tempers. Dipper often fought back his words whenever Mabel was pissed off at him for no reason. But at the end of the day, Mabel cooled down and apologized. Dipper would always forgive her, even if she committed murder.

 _One day, Dipper and Mabel checked in with the Stans. No cure had been found but they were still looking._

 _Dipper was on the phone with Ford, updating him on their home life._

" _I'm proud of you, Dipper, for not giving up. You're a better twin than I ever was," Ford had told him._

 _Dipper's heart swelled at the old man's words. Being praised by his idol was enough to stretch his face in a wide grin and giggle like a girl. Thankfully, he managed to keep his composure until he got off the phone._

"Dipper, are you awake in there?" Mabel's cheerful voice echoed.

Dipper snapped back to reality to see the faces of his family staring at him with mild concern.

"Yeah, I just spaced out for a bit," Dipper replied.

"Well, get back to reality, kid. You're all signed out and you just needto change your bandages every night," Stan held up a package of gauze and a medication bottle.

Mabel continued to bounce around the hallway in excitement. Nurses gave the young woman unimpressed expressions but Mabel paid them no mind.

"Come on, come on," Mabel chanted.

Stan placed his hand on Mabel's head and pressed down in an attempt to stop the bouncing.

"We're going, sweetie. Greasy pancakes are calling our names,".

Two generations of Pines twins exited the hospital. Earlier, while Dipper was asleep, Stan drove back to the Shack to pick up his brother and Mabel to bring them to the hospital. Stan's Third generation Cadillac, affectionately named the Stanmobile, was crookedly parked in the handicap spot closest to the automatic door. Surprisingly, the old car was still running but was now sporting some new dents, scratches, and lost a seat belt or two.

Stan and Ford took the driver and passenger seats while Dipper and Mabel sat in the back. On Mabel's side, Dipper saw a box of Vanilla wafer cookies resting in the pouch behind the seat. Dipper tapped his sister on the shoulder and pointed to the cookies. Mabel smiled and pressed a finger to her lips. Dipper moved his eyes to see Stan checking the rearview mirrors and quickly looked away. The engine roared to life beneath Dipper and sped out of the parking lot towards town.

Very little about Gravity Falls had changed over the years. The same shops and businesses stood the same. Along the drive, Dipper saw some familiar faces; Tyler Cutebiker was sporting a mayoral sash around his thin waist, Toby Determined sat in his office typing away at his computer, Bud Gleeful strolled out of the grocery store with a grocery bag in one hand and a doughnut in the other.

Dipper narrowed his eyes as they passed the man. Even though Bud had managed to leave the Pines family alone since Gideon was arrested, Dipper's feelings of distrust towards him never faded. For all the teen knew, Bud still could have retained his memories and kept the Society of the Blind Eye going.

"We're here!" Stan announced.

The family exited the classic Cadillac and entered the log shaped restaurant.

"Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes!" Mabel chanted as they climbed the stairs.

Stan chuckled at his niece's antics. "Don't worry, cupcake, you'll definitely get your fill of flapjacks,"

The diner was full with its usual morning rush. Patrons sat at the counter reading their newspapers while drinking their coffee. Small families sat in the booths chattering amiably.

Mabel grabbed an empty booth and slid in to sit by the window. Stan sat next to her and Ford and Dipper sat across.

"Well I'll be damned, my favorite twins are back," a woman's voice drawled.

A woman in her early twenties with long, dark blonde hair and brown eyes with a hint of gold in them smiled when she saw the family. She wore the standard Greasy's uniform but it was snug compared to some of the other servers' uniforms and she sported a pair of black cowboy boots. Curves accentuated her short build along with muscular, tan arms. A set of small, silver gas mask earrings hung from her ears; in the left ear a silver stud was pierced higher in the cartilage. Without the boots, Dipper knew that she would have stood at Mabel's height.

"Lorelei!" Mabel squealed.

Lorelei putt down the pot of coffee she was holding and strolled over to their table.

"Hey gorgeous," she said fondly.

Stan stood up to let Mabel out to give the young woman a hug. Lorelei wrapped her arms around the younger girl and gave her a sisterly hug.

"Dipper get your ass over here and give me a hug," Lorelei spoke over Mabel's head.

Dipper smiled and stood up from his seat. The women untangled themselves and Lorelei hugged Dipper around the waist.

"How's it going handsome?" Lorelei said into Dipper's neck.

The adventurer blushed at her compliment. Dipper certainly has not been called handsome by anyone other than his mother and Mabel. Lorelei was definitely attractive but he solely viewed her as a member of the family. She helped Mabel during a time when he couldn't and ever since then, he has held a deep respect for her.

"Dipper, what happened to your head?" Lorelei looked up from her place at Dipper's chest and saw the white bandage poking out from under his hair.

Dipper released the blonde and self-consciously flattened his hair down.

"I got into an accident on the way here," he said quietly.

The last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself in public. Lorelei furrowed her eye brows in concern but caught on to Dipper wanting to keep the event quiet.

"But you're ok now, right?" she asked pursing her lips.

Dipper relaxed his features and laughed. "Yeah, no broken bones or anything just a banged up head,".

"Thank god. Hey Sage, come over here!" Lorelei called over to another waitress.

The woman named Sage was the same age as Lorelei but was her perfect opposite in many ways. She had brown hair styled short with long bangs that swept off to the side, which made it appear longer. A streak of red ran through the bangs. Like Lorelei, she had brown eyes but hers were more like the shade of from the forest with a very slight hint of green. Sage wore the same uniform as Lorelei but sported a pair of black scuffed Chuck Taylors on her feet. Even though Lorelei's height was increased with her boots, Sage stood over the blonde in her sneakers and was the same height as Dipper. She stood with the willowy figure of a ballerina. Her ears were pierced with multiple earrings going all the way up her cartilage and the slightest hint of a circular tattoo poked out from her collar of her dress. Upon seeing the family, Sage's eyes lit up.

"There are my favorite twins," Sage wrapped both Dipper and Mabel in a group hug.

"We've missed you girls," Dipper said patting Sage's back.

"Okay, okay, enough with the mush. Can you two do your jobs and get us some breakfast?" Stan barked.

"Stan, it's always a pleasure to see your handsome mug," Lorelei crossed her arms.

"Don't try to sweet talk me, sister. Mabel's been begging for pancakes all morning" Stan sat down so Mabel could sit on the outside when Sage released them.

"Lord knows I can't deny this sweet girl anything. Pancakes are coming right up. Dipper, you want pancakes as well?" she asked.

"Yeah, but with blueberries, please," Dipper replied.

Lorelei scribbled the order on to her notepad and turned her attention to the Stans.

"Eggs and bacon for me," Ford said.

"You got it, Ford" Lorelei said.

"How is the fencing at your place?" asked the scientist.

"Shoddy and falling apart," Sage replied from her place next to the table.

Lorelei cast her friend an annoyed look.

"It's not that bad. I'm just having some trouble keeping the fence stable," she said in a low voice.

"I can come out and take a look at it, see what the problem is," Ford offered.

Lorelei's eyes traveled to Fords damaged hand.

"No, that's okay. I need to figure this out for myself anyway," Lorelei said quickly.

Ford's face fell into a stubborn frown and he looked at the young girl like a father telling down his daughter.

"I've got time this afternoon. I'll bring my toolbox over to your house, we'll take a look at the problem, and I'll show you how to fix it,".

Lorelei's face fell in relief but also with some guilt.

"Thanks, Ford, I really appreciate it,".

"You're welcome," Ford said with a small smile.

Stan ordered himself a stack of pancakes and Lorelei pocketed the notepad.

"Do you have any sweet tea?" Mabel asked.

"Am I taller than Lori?" Sage asked teasingly.

The family erupted into chuckles while Lorelei stuck her tongue out at the other woman. The two waitresses left the table but Sage returned a few minutes later with a tray loaded with glasses of her famous sweet tea.

"Sage, your tea would make Southerners cry," Dipper said taking a sip.

Mabel inhaled her drink in one sitting and Sage refilled her glass. The bubbly girl's hands were beginning to twitch and she was bouncing in her seat from the sugar. Dipper's stomach clenched as he could see that a hurricane was coming.

"I'm gonna use the restroom, that tea goes right through you," Dipper chuckled weakly and slid out of the seat.

"Light weight," Mabel muttered and went back to her beverage.

Dipper walked in the direction of the restroom but he did not need to go. Sage was carrying a pitcher of tea as she topped off a customer's glass. Dipper whistled quietly and Sage somehow heard it and looked towards Dipper. He moved his hand in a rapid motion under his neck horizontally and mouthed 'cut her off'. Sage moved her eyes to the Pines' table and saw Mabel jitteriness.

Shrugging, she put down the pitcher behind the counter and went to make a glass of water to give to Mabel later. Dipper gave her a thumbs-up and the converse wearing woman headed over with her arms crossed.

"Thanks for doing that. I could her ticking and waiting to explode," Dipper said.

"No problem. Now what really happened to your head?" Sage asked getting to the point.

"I was in a car accident getting here," Dipper said crossing his arms to match hers.

"Yeah, I know, and it sounds like a load of crap " Sage said sardonically.

"You drive like a paranoid turtle and the day that Dipper Pines gets into an accident is the day that hell freezes over,"

"Well then you better start shoveling your drive way because I really was in an accident," Dipper snapped.

"Dipper, we've been friends for a long time and I know you, especially when you're holding back" Sage said.

Dipper's neck grew hot with each passing second spent under Sage's piercing gaze.

"W-what makes you think that?" he asked.

"Call it woman's intuition, it's my super power," Sage said.

Dipper sighed and ran a hand down his face.

"Nothing gets past you, Sage," he said slackening his arms.

Sage looked around the diner to see if there were any customers that needed her attention but everyone was content with their food and Lori had everything under control.

"Talk to me about it," she said focusing her attention on him.

"For the past month, I've been having these nightmares about Mabel," Dipper started.

Sage nodded. "What happens to Mabel in these dreams?"

Dipper pursed his lips and dread coated his nerves. "Mabel dies in these nightmares, because of me. I hear her singing and see that her body is carved and barely alive. She points at something behind me I turn around and see myself holding the knife," he said with a shiver.

Dipper purposely left out the part where he was possessed by Bill still in his twelve year old body. Sage and Lorelei were aware of the supernatural weirdness of Gravity Falls but not of Bill. All they knew about what happened to Ford's hand and he is trapped here is because of a demon.

Sage's eyes widened in shock but no words came out of her mouth.

"What does this have to do with your accident last night?" she asked.

"I kept seeing hallucinations and hearing Mabel as I was coming up the drive. She was screaming and I hit the gas. All of a sudden, there was a splash of blood on to the windshield and I was driving blind and before I knew it I was out cold. Stan said that Mabel saw me hit the tree and they all ran outside. My jeep caught on fire from loose wiring, or something, and Ford got me out," Dipper explained.

"Were the journals saved?" Sage asked raising her eye brows in worry.

"Mabel ran back and saved them but unfortunately the rest of my stuff got torched," Dipper said grimly.

"That's good that the journals are safe and don't you worry about your wardrobe. Lorelei and I wear a bit of everything so you can take what you want," Sage said.

Dipper was surprised but touched at the kind gesture.

"Thanks Sage, I really appreciate it," he said.

"No problem, dude, and if you give me until the end of the day I'll research some stuff about your dreams and see what I find. Also, Lorelei's really good about understanding dreams and their meanings. Maybe she can fill in the blanks," Sage suggested.

"Okay, that would be great," Dipper said.

"I'll text you later on when we find something," Sage said getting up from her seat.

Her break was almost up and she needed to get back to her tables. Dipper stood up as well and proceeded back to his family. By now his pancakes were probably cooling at the table and his stomach was growling.

"Yeesh, kid, took you long enough," Stan commented between mouthfuls of his eggs.

Ford was quietly eating his eggs while avoiding eye contact with his brother's animalistic way of eating. While he had gotten used to living under the same roof as Stan, the fez wearing old man ate like a rabid animal and it made Ford nauseous.

"SLAM!"

The front door swung open and a shadowed figure stood against the sun. Snazzy run way music played from an iPhone, announcing their arrival. Every head in the diner turned to see who entered their eating domain.

"Aw crap," Lorelei muttered with distaste.

"I have arrived!" a conceited male voice came from the figure.

He stepped out of the blinding light so that his true form was revealed. Dipper grimaced when he saw familiar blonde hair and blue eyes look around the room snobbishly. He no longer wore a stupid headset but on his hands were the same old bumble bee and pink book puppets from when they were twelve.

"Table for Gabe!" demanded the blonde.

"You've got to be kidding me," Dipper and Mabel said in unison.

"I wish we were," Lorelei commented.

"I thought he went to some fancy theatre school in New York?" Mabel asked.

"He recently graduated and now faces the common problem of finding a job," Sage answered joining the group.

"Now the little shit's back living with his parents and doing puppet shows at the Theatre Time Theatre," Lorelei crossed her arms and glared at the puppeteer who had taken a seat in a nearby booth.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Mabel said.

Dipper rolled his eyes at his sister's sympathy. Out of all of Mabel's past crushes, Gabe was the definitely the weirdest and the most obnoxious (besides Gideon and the gnomes but those crushes were unrequited). Mabel had no more feelings for Gabe after he left her scathingly left her puppet sock opera and made out with his puppets, but the woman had a heart of gold and could not stay mad forever. Drawing on Gabe's poster helped with the moving on process.

"You're not the one who has to serve him. He's the most obnoxious, annoying prick in Gravity Falls," Sage said.

"Next to Gideon," Stan jumped in.

Lorelei snapped her fingers. "Yep, he's runner up to Gideon,".

" _Ding!"_

" _Ding!"_

" _Ding!"_

"Hello, I would like to be served over here!" Gabe tapped his spoon against the surface of a coffee cup in an impatient manner.

"I'll get him," Lorelei volunteered.

The blonde stretched her lips into a fake grin that showed all of her teeth, but she trudged to the booth like she was boarding a train to Auschwitz.

Gabe put his puppets back on his hands and pondered the menu laid out in front of him. Dipper and the rest of the Pines troop turned around in their seats to watch the scene.

"Coffee with three sugars, half a drop of cream, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and is it so hard for you wenches to get me a decent napkin?" Gabe gestured to the napkin lying on his lap. Lorelei looked over and noticed that there was nothing wrong with it.

"What's wrong with your napkin?" she asked.

Gabe rolled his blue eyes in annoyance as though Lorelei was an ignorant child.

"Do you not see the wrinkles? This flimsy rag looks like it was folded by an ignorant hillbilly," he glared.

"Five bucks says she yells first," Stan whispered to Dipper and Mabel.

"Ten bucks says she hits him," Mabel countered.

"Guys, would you stop? Lorelei knows how to keep her cool. She'll get through this," Dipper said.

Lorelei gritted her teeth and maintained her false grin.

"I'll go get you another one," she said sweetly.

Gabe whipped the napkin up in a flourish, though it was a bit difficult with the puppets on his hands, and stuck it under Lorelei's nose. Lorelei took the napkin and returned with a fresh set of silverware, neatly pressed.

Gabe snatched the rolled cutlery from her hands and inspected it.

"I'll have a biscotti and a bowl of cereal. You know what I like," Gabe ordered.

"Coming right up," Lorelei said and collected the laminated menu.

Lorelei came back a few minutes later balancing a tray on her shoulder containing an empty ceramic bowl, a biscotti wrapped in plastic, a small box of Corn Flakes, a milk bottle, and a mug filled with Gabe's requested coffee. The snob would raise hell if he had to prepare the beverage himself. Lorelei carefully set the tray down and removed the items. She poured the cereal and milk into the bowl and placed the spoon inside as a finishing touch.

"Enjoy," Lorelei said with a smile.

She turned around to get back to her other tables but was stopped.

"SPLAT!"

"What fresh hell is this?" Gabe roared.

With a sweep of his hand, he flung the cereal bowl and cup full of hot coffee on to the floor. The dishes shattered on impact and the shards scraped across the floor. Ivory milk and dark coffee mixed together amongst the sticky wooden floors. Lorelei turned around and she froze in embarrassment.

Gabe's blue eyes were blazing with rage. He held up his hands so that the puppets were standing upright.

"I didn't want corn flakes, you stupid bitch. My loves and I need our sugar. You should have given us Frosted Flakes and you gave me the bad biscotti," he growled.

The entire diner turned their attention to the scene. Dipper's and Ford's mouth fell open in shock while Mabel held her hands over hers. Sage had her arms crossed and she was seething with rage. Stan trembled in anger and moved to stand up out of his seat and advance towards Gabe until Ford leaned over and rested his good hand on Stan's.

"Easy, Stanley, she's got this," Ford said quietly.

Stan sat back down with a huff and glared at Gabe.

Gabe held up the book puppet to his ear like it was whispering something to him.

"What's that, darling? You're hungry? Don't worry, daddy will find you something".

Gabe's eyes fell upon a bow filled with Frosted Flakes. He ran over to table and shoved the poor customer away. The puppets were dipped head first into the milk. Gabe made loud slurping sounds and moans of pleasure coming from the puppets.

Lorelei's face morphed into an expression of disgust. She snatched a pitcher of tea off a table and moved towards Gabe.

"No, no, no, no, don't waste my tea on him. Use this," Sage took the pitcher of Lorelei's hands and replaced it with a jug of milk.

"Works for me," Lorelei said and dumped the jug over Gabe's head.

The puppeteer shrieked in surprise. Milk cascaded down his body, soaking his clothes all the way through. The puppets were equally as soaked but it would be twice as hard to wash them. Gabe snorted and coughed as some of the milk fell into his nose.

"You'll pay for that! I'll make sure you never work in this town again" Gabe snarled but neither of the women fazed.

"Al right puppet punk, it's time for you to go. Lori, you with me?" Sage questioned.

"You know it," Lorelei replied with a grin.

The ladies picked Gabe up by his arms and dragged him to the door. Dipper and Mabel left their seats to get a closer look. With her free hand, Sage opened the door and with a swing, they shoved him out. Lorelei kicked Gabe in the back as an extra measure.

Gabe's painful cries emitted as he tumbled down the short flight of steps.

"And don't come back!" Lorelei shouted and slammed the door.

"I've been waiting a long time to do that," Sage said dusting off her hands.

"Join the club, babe," Lorelei said and the women high fived in triumph.

"Hey, Thelma and Louise get back to work," a rather burly man wearing a white paper hat stuck his head out the kitchen window.

"We're going, Jerry," Lorelei said.

The patrons returned to their meal and gossip but left generous tips for the girls. They were glad to be rid of Gabe.

"I told you she would be okay," Ford said.

"Was there any doubt?" Stan said taking a look at the check.

"Put your wallet away, Stan. Breakfast is on the house," Sage said taking the piece of paper and tearing it up.

"Thanks Sage, but won't you guys get into trouble?" Dipper asked.

"Let us worry about that. Think of it as a welcome back breakfast. You guys need to come over for dinner sometime this week," Lorelei said clearing the table.

"Definitely," Dipper nodded.

"Oh! Lorelei, I almost forgot to give you these," Mabel removed the box of vanilla wafer cookies from her tote bag and handed them to Lorelei.

"Thanks, babe, Joker and Penny will love these," Lorelei said.

"Give my babies kisses," Mabel said giving the blonde a final hug.

"I will," Lorelei promised.

Dipper faced Sage. "Let me know what you find out,".

"I will, take care Dipper," Sage said.

The Pines family bade their final goodbyes and exited the diner.

"Boy, who knew we got to have breakfast and a show," Stan commented and unlocked the car.

"Those girls are total bad asses. Hey Dipper, you and Sage would make a cute couple," Mabel said with a smile.

Blood rushed to Dipper's cheeks and his palms grew sweaty.

"What? No we wouldn't, she's one of my best friends," Dipper winced when his voice cracked.

He made it all the way through puberty and his voice still cracked. Talk about a scam.

"That's what you said about Wendy when we were kids," Mabel said.

"That was different, Mabel. Wendy was my first crush who grew to be like a sister. Sage is a really close friend who gets all this supernatural stuff," Dipper said.

"Hmm, I guess you're right and besides she could totally kick your butt," Mabel said teasingly.

"At least I didn't date a leprechaun," Dipper countered.

"Oh for pete's sake, he was cute and Irish, I didn't know!" Mabel threw her hands in the air in frustration.

"He was half your size Irish loved the color green, and kept making you chase him for gold," Dipper deadpanned.

Mabel punched Dipper in the arm, which he countered with one of his own.

"Kids, I will pull this car over if you two don't behave," Stan warned mockingly.

The twins ceased their fighting but erupted into giggles.

"It's cool, we've called a truce," Dipper held up his hand.

"Dipper, we have some bad news about your jeep," Ford said.

"What is it? I already know it's totaled," said the brunette.

"Yes, and because of that it is not plausible to be fixed. Your jeep is destroyed," Ford said gravelly.

Dipper sighed in sadness. The jeep was nice and had been with him all through high school.

"But we do have some good news," Ford continued.

Dipper frowned in confusion. "Okay, what is it?" he asked.

The maroon Cadillac pulled up to the drive way leading to the Shack and sitting there, parked in the first parking spot, was the truck of Dipper's dreams, a vintage red and white Dodge Ram truck.

Dipper's eyes widened and he threw open the car door before Stan could hit the brakes.

"No way, how did you guys get this?" Dipper asked.

He traced his hands along the smooth metal shell of the truck. The smell of rust and woods flooded his senses.

"We were going to give it to you when you turned sixteen but your dad beat us to it," Ford answered.

"Thank you so much, this is awesome," Dipper raced back to the car and furiously shook Ford and Stan's hands.

Stan fished a set of keys out of his pocket and held them out to Dipper. It was a simple silver key that was accompanied by a flying saucer key chain that was sold in the gift shop.

"Don't wreck this one," Stan said with a wry smirk.

Dipper nodded and took the keys. He bolted to the truck and swung the door open. The key turned smoothly and the engine rumbled underneath his body. Dipper shifted the truck into reverse and drove off to reacquaint himself with his town.

.

.


End file.
